Pure Light: V2!
by Crimson.light.of.Death
Summary: "I don't really like doing what I do, but no one seems to get that.Whatever. I need more alcohol." In a world where amonarchy rules, a band escaped lab experiments must live in exile.When they become the hunted, how will continue to survive? OC's Wanted!
1. Prelude

I don't own pokemon. I only own My characters and the plotline.

**Pure Light: V2**

_Prelude: Why did you Change?_

Darkness...Everywhere… It clung to the walls with its grubby long fingers, only to be interrupted by torches that occasionally popped up on the walls, acting like mocking beacons in this underground world. The soft pitter-patter of tiny pokemon scuffling about along with the dry dripping sound of sand that seeped through the walls and ceiling of the ancient, hidden city were the only sounds the rung off the stone walls. The air was dry and dust was everywhere, flying up at the tiniest movement. Silhouettes that acted like ghosts bounced about on the walls and their little, childish giggles could be heard.

Despite the seemingly deserted appearance, these ruins housed many humans as well as pokemon. Those long, winding hallways led somewhere, and only those who knew them could find their way about efficiently, one of them being a tiny Deerling that darted about the hallways with intent heavy in its tiny footsteps. Its gait was long and the only sound it made was a soft clicking as its hooves made contact with the ground. Its large black eyes were narrowed and in their depths swam a mixture of fear and anger that fueled its legs with the oil of loyalty. Its green fur was slightly pricked with anticipation as it neared the chamber it was running for. Its shadow, once long and creeping up the wall, disappeared as the hallway expanded into a full room.

The room was large and resembled a chamber that a king would occupy. A large throne like chair was perched in the middle of it on a raised platform. In the stone seat, a girl sat, her flaming hair was her most noticeable feature. It was a waterfall of fire that seemed to burn as if it was an actual flame. Her ruby eyes held a bored, hardened expression that rested upon an old man that waited before her, who was leaning heavily on his cane. Her fingers, rough and callused from years of hard labor, tapped lightly on the armrest on her left and her long, lean legs were strewn messily over the one on the right. She wasn't unattractive, but she held an aura of 'don't touch me' that made people keep their distance. Her scarf, long tan and worn out, was draped around her long neck, adding a hint of elegance to her otherwise messy posture. Also around her neck was a pair of dark goggles that served to protect her red orbs from the harsh winds of the desert. She was clad in brown clothing that nearly matched her tan scarf. Her shorts ended upper thigh and provided easy movement and comfort as well as modesty. Under them was a pair of white stockings that were turning a light brown from the dust. Her upper half was covered with a thick tank top and a long, thin brown coat that served as more protection as well as camouflage.

The deerling scampered behind a large column and watched the girl intently. She swung each leg roughly over the arm of the throne, planting them firmly on the ground with a rough scuff from her worn brown combat boots. Reaching in her coat, she pulled out a tiny metal flask that was filled with some sort of sweetened alcohol that the deerling could smell. _Such horrid habits…_ She took a great gulp and exhaled into the air in relief and replaced the item back into her pocket, making sure to replace the lid on her precious drink. Not so daintily, she rose, her back bending in a drunken manner. She stepped forward, each of her steps heavy and unrefined way, and made her way to the man. He shrunk down slightly, clutching some item that was hidden underneath his shirt. She stood in front of him, her tall figure towering over the short, balding old man. She watched him, her expression still unemotional, bored, and uncaring despite what she was about to do. "You know, I don't enjoy doing what I do. But someone's gotta do it and it seems I'm the only one who's capable enough to do the job," She spoke, her voice gruff and heavy with alcohol, cherry vodka to be exact. She raised her hand up, flicking it about to and fro, not caring what happened, unknowing to the fear in the man's blue, blue eyes. "And you're too damn old the carry out your duties and blah blah blah, do I really have to say this shit to you?" She asked him, her red eyes now turned into some piercing, crimson ice, "'Cause you're going to die anyway. You won't need to know this crap in heaven or hell or wherever you go." The man, surprised by her harsh words, shook his head no. She sighed in relief. "Well good. We can make this quick then. Stay still so I don't fuck this up."

She stopped flipping her hand boredly and it was poised high in a position meant to kill. Aiming for his heart, the little dagger like nails on her fingers plummeted towards the man's chest. He closed his eyes, sure he was going to die. That's when the deerling wailed and galloped forward at full speed, its hateful gaze resting upon the woman. She stopped mid strike and watched it, her expression unchanged. The little deer sprang, ready to beat the woman away from its master with all its force.

That's when all hell broke loose for the grass-type pokemon.

White teeth snapped around the little deer's throat and fire burst from the creature's fangs, making it shriek in pain and wriggle about in a feeble attempt at escape. The fires began to die down after a second, but its assailant's grip remained strong. It stepped out from the shadows, displaying its dark fur and massive muscles. The fire pokemon was up to the girl's waist without its large, curved devil horns. Its spaded tail lashed around impatiently and it sunk its fangs in deeper, ripping another screech from the deerling. Its ruby eyes showed as much care as his master's did.

"…I don't like to do this, but something always fucks it up. Last time it was a little girl, the time before a fucking mother, and now we're wanting to fight? Can't I just get this done fast JUST FUCKING ONCE?" The woman yelled in annoyance, her voice carrying years of anger just ready to blow. Her fists clenched with rage and her pokemon's teeth clenched tighter and tighter, sensing her building anger. "You, good sir, are so unlucky right now. Normally, I'm rather tolerable at the moment, but YOU WANNA GUESS WHAT?" she bellowed, her wrath now turned upon him. Suddenly, another mood swing hit her and she seemed to relax slightly. "Im almost out of Vodka."

Her fingers lashed out and wrapped around the man's throat, holding him still. Before he could breathe, her other hand plunged into his chest. There was a metallic screech that was soon joined with the man's raspy yells of pain that created a symphony of displeasure. The woman's eyes, now a little wild with rage, watched the little dots of blood show up on the man's once clean shirt, staining it dark crimson. She continued to pull though and soon enough, a tiny locket was visible. On the edge of the trinket was long, spindly legs that were embedded in his chest and gripped him tight. His skin was bulging as she continued to yank.

Soon enough, it popped and in the woman's hand was the spidery locket, its legs clenched tightly around the man's heart. Once it was detached from the actual living human, the locket, which was shaped like a little silver heart, released the organ, and it landed ungracefully on the ground with a wet _plop! _The man gave a short gasp and his old, wrinkled hands crept to his chest, which had a gaping hole in place where his most vital organ was. His mouth opened and closed like a fish's, saying nothing, but expressing his agony with just that simple movement. He trembled and went limp, his knees buckling and sending him face planting on the ground, dead.

Deerling's black eyes widened and tiny drops of water began to pool in them, dripping down its pale muzzle. It went limp as its trainer's last breath left his lungs. The woman saw this and she opened the locket and ripped out the tiny picture inside. The picture floated down, revealing the deerling, with a fall coat at the time, and his ageing master, who seemed happier in the picture. "Drop it, Feugo." she commanded her Houndoom. The loyal hound dropped the deerling, who collapsed to the floor in a heap of pathetic moping emotion. It tried to regain its footing, but settled for just dragging its body over to the dead man. Its trip was agonizing and it seemed to take forever for it to inch there. It wailed and sobbed the entire way, making a pitiful lament with its calls. It was dying as well, the wounds in its neck too deep for the tiny thing, its red, red blood making a tiny trail on the floor. The woman sighed and walked to the grass pokemon. "GOD! Do I have to do everything?" She hissed and picked up the dying pokemon, placing it by the man's face, allowing the pokemon to have its last moments next to the one it loved. It tucked its black nose under the man's chin, took a deep breath and went limp, content in death.

The woman snorted and turned on her heel, her companion following. "I don't like to do this shit, but no one seems to understand that. Whatever. Someone needs to bury them later. They provided us with years of service and deserve at least that." She tossed the locket up, making it spin. Blood flew from it and spattered on her face and hair before landing in her hand again, leaving a taunting imprint on her palm. Her pink tongue darted out like a rosy ghost, flitting across her bloodied lips and disappearing, taking the crimson with it. "SOMEONE'S gotta do it, and I'm the only one I can trust to do it right. So that's that. Can't trust any other person to do it. They'll go killin' all the wrong people or sparing every one or some other nonsense and neh neh neh," she mumbled to no one in her drunken stupor. She flung her hands around, illustrating her every word with wild hand gestures and crazy movements. Feugo growled lightly as the back of her hand nearly came in contact with his muzzle. "Oh. Sorry. Whatever. Who gets this shit anyway?" She held the locket in front of her face and squinted examining the shiny, crimson spattered surface. "Some blonde chick? Yeaaah…. Zia… or Matilda…? I dunno…I'll remember when I see her… I'll worry later. SOMEONE CLEAN UP THIS MESS!" she screeched again, forgetting her words of burial from earlier. She didn't care anymore. She never truly cared.

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><p>There you have it. The Prelude of Pure Light: V2! I'm going to change the name of the whole story, since it's not really so pure anymore, but for those of you who read V1, you can keep calling it Pure light if you wish. Any name suggestions? Also, Is the rating right? I wasn't sure, so I put it on M just to be safe. Should I bump it down?<p>

Anyway, here's the Application for you to send in your Original character for me to use in this story. Follow my directions please. I would rather you send them Via PM, but if they go in the reviews, I will consider them. The ones in the PMs have first dibs!

if you would be so kind, Title your PM to me 'Pure Light OC: (insert oc Name)' This makes it easier to find for me. I'll need to be able to talk to you about your character, so keep that in mind! Without further Adieu, here is the form you should use!

Name: (First and last; middle is optional)

Age: (go Crazy. I need a lot of different ages)

Gender: (Male/Female)

Picture: (If one, just put a few spaces in there and I'll get the link. optional)

Physical Description: (hair color, eye color, body shape, ect. Give me as long as a description as possible)

Personality: (how does your character act/feel? Give me a long description for them)

History: (What made your character they way they are today? This doesn't have to be too long anymore.)

Theme song: (OPTIONAL)

Pokemon Team: (1-6 please. And keep in mind that the younger kids won't have as many as the older people unless their parents gave them some or whatever. No legendaries or very unusual pokemon. Pokemon from Unova included. Include name(if any), personality, gender and species as well as anything else.)

Legendary that Relates to them most: (Please someone put Groudon or Ho oh or something else besides Lugia and the really popular ones. Also, this isn't your favorite; this is the one that is most like your character)


	2. Chapter 1

I don't own pokemon, only my Oc.

_Chapter 1: Rumors of Rebellion_

Kei shot up in his bed, panting softly. _That dream…it was so vivid…_ he could almost feel the blood and musky air against his skin. That man's dead body was just so real. And that woman's bored look as she ended him so bluntly….She reminded him of himself. Cold…and uncaring…The seventeen year old sighed and smacked the buzzing alarm clock that woke him. It gave a shrill squeal in response to his abusive pounding, but silenced itself nonetheless. Swinging his legs over the side of his squatty bed, he rose up slowly, popping his back in the process of. Getting the pressure of the bed off his spine was a relief; that mattress was shit and he needed another, but there was no way he could afford one. No one could afford anything right now; sometimes even food was hard to come by. Those who couldn't afford necessities often died on the clean streets of Unovan towns. No one ever saw their bodies. No one ever saw them alive. They were always promptly disposed of or relocated before anyone could. Unova didn't like such scum dirtying up their alleys and streets. Only those worthy of living in their nice towns would be allowed to walk the streets. Thieves and homeless...beggars and those just trying to survive…They weren't worthy…But, just once…the young boy had seen a dying girl in an alley once in his life though, when he was just getting started on his own, thirteen to be exact…

It was odd to find such an emancipated child on the streets was just…out of place in this so called 'utopia'. Her blonde hair was matted and dirty and looked like it had not been brushed in several months. _Didn't women always care about their hair? Wasn't it their most prized possession in a loose sort of way?_ Her dark clothing almost made her blend into the walls and the night surrounding them. Her arms and legs, once probably long and strong, were thin and brittle looking as the rest of her body. He could almost hear the growls resonate from her belly and the pain of hunger reflect in her dulled blue eyes and her sunken in cheeks, one of which had some sort of tattoo on it that couldn't be made out in the darkness. Kei watched her with his gold eyes for a minute, just staring. He wasn't awestruck or scared….he just stared at her with no emotion.

He had just gotten his house a couple of days before, and he didn't have much money or food himself. He actually was eating his dinner, bread with a bit of butter the neighbors in his apartment had given him as a welcoming gift. She looked at him as he nibbled, her own eyes portraying her attitude. They didn't seem to care about how hungry she was, but more guilt or regret. It was gone as quick as it came though, replaced by a new, annoyed look. Kei held his emotionless stare with her angry one for a moment, and then he looked at his dinner.

_Should he? He'd just be a little hungry…_ He took one more bite before tossing the food at her and turning his back, continuing his late night wandering.

Kei remembered that night well. It gave him a little tap, reminding him that he was one of the lucky ones. Sure he only had the bare necessities, but that's all he really needed…not everyone had a bed to sleep in or the comfort of knowing they could lie in peace if they pleased. With a sigh, the ravenette sluggishly walked to his closet and pulled out his day clothing. He just wore the same thing every day, a red hoodie with short sleeves, plain black skinny jeans and black and red shoes. It was easier to wake up and know what you were going to wear. He couldn't imagine women's toils in the morning, fussing over their attire and makeup and hair and whatever else they did. In his opinion, they all looked like fools, especially the aristocratic ones with their puffy hats and dresses. _Hopefully, _he thought, _he'd never have to bother with them. _A relationship was a lot of trouble he wasn't planning on dealing with for a long, long time. That required getting close to someone and leaving your feeling out for them to play with. He didn't like that, at all. _Besides… _He ran a brush through his surprisingly natural faux hawk, letting a smirk slide onto his lips. _He had a rebellion to lead._

* * *

><p>"Are you ready to deploy?"<p>

"Yeah yeah yeah. Get the hell out and go kill some people. We have shit to raid."

"We have younger children with us…would it kill you to watch your mouth?"

"Shut the fuck up. You should be worrying about feeding the younger children with us, but you're worrying about my language? Get a damn life."

"I agree…they're going to hear and see much worse in their lifetime…such things shouldn't be our top priority."

"Well, quit yapping and get the fuck going!"

* * *

><p>There was a low growl of annoyance from the group of shadows, but a moment later, they dispersed in different directions, making it seem as if the conversation had never happened.<p>

Kei left his home at roughly eight. He had no destination in mind when he left, his gray messenger bag slung lazily over his shoulder, but he had a goal. Someone in this town must hate the way things were run, and he was going to find them and convince them to support him. He didn't like the fact that he'd be asking them to do anything for him, but he did realize there was power in numbers, and he needed a large number to accomplish his dream.

His dream…a Rebellion…it seemed hopeless and stupid to anyone, but it kept the teen alive. It gave him hope. He wanted to see the monarchy gone, the people free. The monarchy…_The monarchy… _It was horrible. Dukes, duchesses, nobles ,knights , government officials, knights, everything. It was like going back in time. There had to be a king though and his word was God's word. What he said was what you did. It was like being some sort of pet: horrible.

When the monarchy took over, they took out the gym leaders first, figuring they were the anchor of the town. One by one, they fell, killed publicly, so everyone knew they were dead. The people still rebelled against the control of the monarchy though, some becoming violent. So then they went to the elite four and crushed them too, but still, nothing tamed the crowds. Then, one day, their leader realized it wasn't humans influencing the people's emotions.

It was the pokemon.

And what better way to destroy hope then to destroy the founding fathers of their world? The legendaries.

They had to go.

And they did, driven off one by one to somewhere unknown. They were gone, their influence on the world dead. Then people began to just roll over and obey. The monarchy stripped the cities of their titles and renamed them 'Wards'. They had complete and utter control. They even built their police and government buildings on top the ruins of the gyms, relics to legendaries, and elite four buildings.

The town Kei inhabited which was named Nimbasa City at one point but was now the Entertainment Ward by the ruling monarchy, was bustling at even this early hour. Vendors were selling their fruit and crafts, theme parks were opened to those who could afford them, and the battle dome was already packed by those who liked to take their chances with a fortune. Of course, there were other stores with food and clothing and all the essentials as well as all the luxuries, but those were the main attractions.

He stopped by one of the stupid perfume stores that littered the city and looked at it. Something inside seemed…off… He couldn't really explain it, but the inside was dark and looked as if it was shut down of the day when it should have been open for at least an hour now. The blinds were drawn and he could smell the reek of the obnoxious substances sold within from where he stood. His nose wrinkled in disgust at it. _Did all women smell like that? No…_ It smelled like bottles had been smashed and their scents intermingled with each other like some ticking time bomb. There was crash inside and Kei cocked an eyebrow curiously at it. _Were they getting robbed?_

Suddenly, the door busted open and the scent hit him full force. He clutched his nose and coughed, waiting for it to pass, but before he got a hold of his senses, he was pushed over onto his back. His shoulders hit the concrete and the air rushed out of his lungs. Before he could get another breath in, something pounced on top of him, its small paws putting a lot of weight on his chest. Its creamy tails flicked around, whapping him across the face a couple of times, whether it knew it or not. The leggy, fire-type fox's chest began to inflate like a balloon as it sucked in air. Its crimson eyes narrowed as it homed in on its target, the perfume shop. All of a sudden, it deflated and released a flurry of flames and dry wind on the explosive store.

The sparks mingled with the fumes in the air, causing an instant reaction. The space ignited, producing clouds of flames and waves of heat that singed the hair on Kei's long arms as he raised them to shield his face. The sudden burst dissipated after a second or two, and the pressure on his chest was relieved. He could feel the material on his leg burning and he hurried to smother the small flame. After a couple of brushes from his large hands, it disappeared and only a couple wisps of smoke were left. He looked up to see a familiar person, her dull, haunting blue eyes still filled with the same remorse that they were four years ago. Her blonde hair was combed through and she wasn't as mucky as before, but she looked the exact same, dark clothes and the tattoos on her face. He could clearly see the three legendary dogs running in a small circle on her cheek. Entei chasing Suicune, Suicune chasing Raikou, and Raikou chasing Entei. It was the same experience as before, except it was the girls turn to watch him lay on the ground, sore and dirty. She watched him for a moment, recognizing him as well, but, just as he sat up, she fled, her creamy fox pokemon following her loyally. A hiss of annoyance escaped his mouth, but he just got to his feet and looked around, scanning around.

There were fires everywhere, even on the famous ferris wheel across town. It turned slowly and each flaming basket was like a little beacon. People scurried around, some with family albums, food and their other possessions. Children were confused and crying in fear as their mothers and fathers raced towards the entrance of the city, which was beginning to pile up already from all the fleeing people. Pokemon with wings were in the sky. Ground type pokemon were digging under the streets, making little tunnels in the once clean streets. Water pokemon squealed in fright and tried to put out the fires, but couldn't reach all of them; they were the safest though, even if they couldn't leave their little ponds.

What the _fuck _happened? It had only been minutes! Then it hit Kei.

This must have been planned; someone was causing this uproar in an attempt of rebellion.

He searched desperately with his gold eyes. _He needed to find these people! THIS is what he was waiting for! _Through the crowds of fleeing civilians, he could pick out some people carrying large boxes. _Looting stores? _That must be them! It was an awfully small number though, there must be more. He looked up and there were at least ten people in the sky on winged pokemon. There were boxes of supplies in their talons and they formed a near V-formation with one large Flygon at the lead. On its back crouched a familiar woman. A scarf fluttered behind her lazily and he could see her crazed grin as vividly as he could see her flaming locks. He couldn't quite place her, no matter how hard he tried. He snorted in annoyance as he looked around for something to follow them with; they were too fast for him to follow around on foot.

Not too far away from him was a military jeep that was outdated from the ones used these days. It was a faded grey where the new ones were a vibrant sliver that was more for show then actual function. The one in front of him was packed with young people and boxes that could be seen through the tinted windows in the back of back. This was his opportunity! As the wheels started to spin and the vehicle was getting ready to take off, he hopped in the back.

Just as he was about to disappear into the darkness of the truck, he caught a glimpse of the woman from before, the one with the red hair. She was a little lower in the sky, so he could see her a little better and he caught the red goggles over her eyes. She was standing and her arms were outstretched like some sort of god's arms would be, straight to the sides and making her body look like a 'T'. She held up her thumb, index, and middle finger on her left hand and her pinkie finger on her right hand. _What was with her? _

Four riders sped up suddenly and passed her up, three from the left and one from the right, each corresponding from the position of her finger. They dived down and opened their maws, releasing a barrage of flames upon the city. Buildings seemed to crumble almost immediately and some people were caught in the cross fire on accident and became nothing more than a pile of ash. Kei couldn't watch all the destruction raining down around him. He could only keep his eyes trained on the woman, who was stumbling and swaying slightly, obviously intoxicated, on the back of her flygon with that crazed look still present on her face. The dragon looked used to this and maneuvered about to help her keep her balance. She howled in pleasure and she watched the flames with hungry eyes, wanting more. Her thin lips moves quickly and the dragon nodded and took off at a higher speed, going straight up. The girl was forced to hold onto its neck and cease standing. They soon disappeared into the sky, becoming nothing more than a speck in the darkening sky.

Moments later, glowing golden dots could be seen. Their size increased quickly and they descended to the earth with a little trail of orange energy following behind it. The energy balls crashed into the buildings with deadly precision and destruction in their wake. The smashed into cars and created craters in the once smooth streets of the Entertainment Ward. Attractions like the ferris wheel and the battle dome were sent crashing to the ground. The military tanks had started to show up, but they were quickly taken care of and reduced to nothing more than scrap metal, the people inside nothing more than a corpse. A shower of death and destruction…. Kei was knocked out of his daze and into the back of the vehicle as it jerked into motion.

He didn't feel guilty leaving all those people outside in terror; he didn't really care anyway. He was more worried about what he was going to do once he got out of the truck. _Were they friendly? What if they weren't and they would kill him on sight? They didn't seem to be above it… _He narrowed his golden eyes and dug in his backpack, looking for a certain pokeball. They wouldn't dare mess with him if he posed a threat to any of the younger members, would they? He managed to grasp a small red and white pokeball with his fingertips and draw it out. _He would talk to them, whether they liked it or not._

* * *

><p>I decided to cut this chapter in half, since it would be incredibly long. More next time :) Thanks for all the amazing reviews and I hope that you all have a happy Thanksgiving for those of you who celebrate it!<p> 


	3. Chapter 2

I don't own pokemon, only the plot and my character(s).

_Chapter 2: One Step Closer_

The ride was never ending. Bump after bump sent him all over the place. He had to dodge some boxes that fell and be quiet the entire way. Well…most of the way. The first bit of the ride he could have had a party in the back and no one would have noticed among the chaos in the city. The pushed the vehicle as fast as it could go for a few minutes, then they had begun this slow, steady pace. It was agonizing in every way possible. The people driving didn't speak a word to each other and all the sand they were kicking up was making Kei want to cough, but he couldn't if he wanted to stay hidden. Sand…that meant they were by Route Four, or the Desert Resort. _Why were they there…? _There was literally nothing out there, and people died trying to find their way around. _With all these boxes? What were they filled with anyway?_

Curiosity kicked in and Kei opened one of the boxes and peeked in. It was food for humans as well as pokemon, just stuffed tightly in the cardboard boxes. They must have been in a hurry to be so careless about storing these properly. He closed that once more and looked in one of the heavy wooden crates. In there was medical supplies a pokeballs. In another box was clothing and another was water. _This was survival supplies… _They weren't trying to rebel…they were trying to live.

That knocked Kei's confidence back a notch or two. _Shit…_He didn't expect this, but now that he thought back at what had happened not too long ago, he should have. All the boxes and various other supplies made it obvious. Those people made it seem like they were just going about and destroying the town for kicks though… He got his hope up when he saw the flames and the raid of airborne pokemon. Then it hit him.

That woman! She seemed way too happy about the death all about for her motives to be so basic. Maybe, just maybe, she was just crazy enough for her to help him. Yes! He'd find her. How though? They'd detect him in a minute if he just waltzed around looking for her. He had to be stealthy… He looked at the boxes and thought. They would provide a good hiding place…but he had to empty them and put their contents in other boxes. Not knowing how long he had until they reached their destination, he started to hastily unpack the boxes and move the items in them about. It was all clothing, so it was easy enough to remove from the box without much effort, and he even left some on the bottom of the box for some added comfort. Once most of it was out of the box and he could fit, he started to stash it all away into other boxes, but before he could do much more, the car came to a screeching halt. The adrenaline began to rush through his veins and he clambered into the box as quietly as he could without disturbing everyone. And now…he would have to wait…

* * *

><p>Jack scowled as he drove the jeep over the terrain. Of all the people he didn't like, he hated happy, young, naïve innocent children the most. He didn't like anyone at all actually. But guess who was stuck with the new recruit? Yeah. Him. That's who. The little blue haired girl was a chatter box, and he couldn't stand the sound of her high pitched voice and constant yammering. At one point, he was tempted just to pull out his faithful revolver that was strapped to his hip under his long cloak and shooting her a couple of times in the face, but, because there was a shortage of bullets, and it was frowned upon to kill children, he had to stop himself. That didn't mean he could dig his nails into the wheel in annoyance though.<p>

The black haired man was usually a pretty patient individual, but Jesus-ever-loving-Christ, this girl was annoying. Eliza was it? He was surprised that it wasn't engrained in his mind from the thousands of times she must have mentioned it. Oh god, when he got back to base, that red haired bitch was going to pay. _Spiteful, drunk ass female._ She knew damn well his hate of being on a team, but she had shoved him with the fourteen year old for her first actual outing. _Why not someone else?_ Oh that's right.

"_You're responsible enough to take care of the little girl. Get used to it," _she said as she took a swig of her vodka, swaying with that infuriating, 'Get-over-it,-I'm-the-leader-and-I'm-better-than-all-of-you' look on her face. _"Oh yeah. Don't let her do anything stupid. I kinda like her, so her death is unwanted." _And with that, she wobbled off to her flygon and took off to lead the group to the city for their raid. He snorted softly, sending a piece of his long hair that was in his face flying back with the rest of his dark locks.

Ok…She needed to shut up. Right. Now.

With a growl, he shot an annoyed look at Eliza. "Would you kindly…Shut. The. Fuck. Up? Zip it. Silence. No noise. Peace. Get the idea?" Not caring for her response, he turned his eyes back to the sandy, nonexistent desert road. He heard her pout and ignore his request.

"You know you're not very nice, right? And cursing is bad-"

"Did you not just hear me?"

"I did but-"

"Then be quiet-"

"Why don't you like-"

"Don't cut me off when I'm speak-"

"You've been doing it to me though-"

"GOD YOU LITTLE HELLION. SHUT. UP," he hissed, anger and annoyance falling off of him in waves. She shrank back, bundling herself into a little ball of white, red and blue cloth. She whimpered a small 'kay..' but was silenced by Jack's low growl of annoyance. Finally quiet for the rest of the ride.

The whole thirty second of it. He saw the other tucks screech to a stop and he snorted, his crimson eyes narrowing in annoyance. _What long lived silence. _Now he was going to have to deal with the she-witch and her commanding tone and her total domination of all the camp activities. All while she did nothing but watch them all. With his temper flaring, he ripped out the key, slung open the door and stomped to the back of the truck, causing little clouds of dust to poof up and dirty his dark clothing. "Let's get this over with you little banshee." He said to the girl while pulling out a light box for her to take. She had scurried over to him and held out her arms for it, but when he dumped it carelessly into her arms, she stumbled and nearly fell, but quickly scampered off to where she was being directed. Jack snorted at her, but turned back to the truck and looked inside.

He blinked at all the clothing that was scattered everywhere. _Had he really driven that roughly? Shit…Now he'd have to pick all that up…_ He jumped in and crawled around, looking for the open box, but he couldn't find one…The lid couldn't have just hopped back onto the box by itself… His crimson eyes narrowed as he noticed something was off. He saw a wooden box, hidden in the corner and out of sight, with its lid askew. He reached out and grabbed it, and as he did, the lid wobbled. He growled lowly and dragged it out, knowing everything was secured down and the lids were tight before he loaded them in. In one motion, he picked up the heavy box and tossed it out, causing it to hit the ground and shatter into a million little pieces below. His assumption was right; there was indeed someone in the box.

He leapt towards the youngster, intent on pinning him down and killing him for sneaking on. He could have been one of the Monarchy's spies or soldiers sent to find their location and leave. He wouldn't allow that; they had just gotten settled down in this desert, and no matter how much he didn't like it, he didn't feel like moving again. He didn't land on him like he wanted to, but landed on the ground beside him. _The little shit rolled to the side! _He snorted and hopped to his feet easily, his eyes searching for the runt. He heard scuffling behind him and he pivoted on his toes just in time to avoid being tackled. His opponent hit the ground hard and rolled, spilling a little blood from his scraped hands, but he managed to roll back on his feet to intercept Jack's punch to the face. The older man glared at the teen and raised his foot, then slammed it against his chest, sending him flying back into one of the trucks. The kid grunted as he harshly hit the metal back, but he saw the skeleton like man pull out a small revolver, a .44 to be exact, and was forced to ignore the pain in his back so he could dodge the flurry of bullets that was coming for him.

Jack hissed and actually took his time to aim for the kid, getting annoyed that he wasn't dead yet. He didn't care if anyone else got hurt in this scuffle, he just wanted the teen dead, which he wasn't. _Oh yes~ Perfect shot._ His back was turned and Jack was just about to pull the trigger and send a bullet straight into his heart, but he heard more steps behind him, and he had to forfeit his shot to avoid the devil behind him. _God damn woman… _He glared at her, his finger itching to send a bullet straight into her and her Houndoom companion's skulls and be rid of them.

"What? WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY WANT THAT HAS TO BE DONE AT THIS MOMENT? IM A TOUCH BUSY," He seethed, already hating the presence of this woman. She narrowed her crimson eyes at him and growled back at him, her voice still slurred with intoxication.

"You…Need to stop shooting like some sort of…I dunno…dumbass for lack ov'a better word. You could'a killed or injured someone and then it would be my problem to get them healed and blah blah blah. What I really wanna say is that you need to stop being stupid. Go find sumthin to do with your otherwise useless life. Off with you! I can clean up your mess!" She said, wobbling off to the boy who was watching her yell at his potential killer. Jack growled and grabbed the scarf around her throat, yanking her back.

"You, ma'am,need to stop being such a wise ass and do your share of the work around here. You're like a god damn dictator." Her expression was now scarily blank except for the slight, angered narrowed shape of her eyes. Her hands were limp at her sides and she seemed quite calm even though her feet were barely skimming the ground.

"I do my share of the work. Without me, ya wouldn't be able to command so many people efficiently. You may be smart and daring, but everything would die under ya lead, I can guarantee you that. Now, let me go before ya face gets chewed off." He looked down and he saw her faithful companion snarling and baring his teeth at him, ready to strike at him whenever his trainer so pleased. "Oh yeah, remember the kid you were tryin' to kill a moment ago? Yeah. Be glad he didn't get away." She smacked his wrist lightly, and he let go, knowing he was in a bad place at the moment. Reluctantly, the older man stepped back, and let her pass him and go towards the boy, who had stopped running and was watching her approach with wary eyes and his hand curled around a shrunken pokeball. She smirked widely and stopped her advance to watch him with interest sparking in her eyes. "Ah, there's no need for that. Unless, you want to, but ya see…I'm not one for fighting unless it's completely and utterly necessary… Nah…That's a lie. I like to fight, but this whole raid thing just took a lot out of me. Yeah…That's it…Im tired. Sleepy sleepy sleepy. So since you seem so sparky, I'll let you fight someone else. Then maybe I'll talk to you or whatever," she rambled on, not a care in the world. "Oh yeah, we battle differently here" she mentioned as if it was nothing, "The battle doesn't end 'till something's dead. Just thought I'd mention that to you."

Jack watched, a little hope stirring in his heart that he would be able to defeat the kid, but it deflated as the drunken woman pointed to a blonde girl in the crowd. He growled, put away his revolver, and promptly stormed away. God…She would never hear the end of this.

* * *

><p>Hikari blinked as her leader pointed at her and chose her to fight the person who had snuck into camp. <em>Yeah…Whatever…sure… More training for her.<em> She put down her box, dusted her clothing, though, it was no use since they were in a perpetual dust cloud and slowly walked to the front, pulling out a pokeball that contained one of her trusty pokemon, her gardevior. The lean, graceful pokemon was always loyal to her, and never lost a fight under the red-haired lady's rule, which was a short time anyway. So she was as good as any of her fire type pokemon.

She entered the makeshift ring of people and stood on one side, her blue eyes dull and uninterested, but as soon as she spotted her opponent, she frowned. _This boy again? Christ.. _She had already repaid him for feeding her so long ago by making sure he didn't blow up today, but God…Could he mind his own business for once? He didn't show any hostility towards her, so she saw no reason to fight. "Ma'am…Is this necessary-"

"Of course it is. Let's see if kiddo here has the skills to interest me. Besides, I thought you liked to fight or something. Let's get a move on. Ok, blah blah blah, winner takes all, blah blah blah, go." She said, swinging her hand lazily and plopping her rear down in the sand. Her nimble finger dug in her pocket and pulled out a flask and promptly drained it of the pungent liquid inside, expressing her satisfaction with an 'ahhh~!'

Hikari growled and looked back at the teen across from her, not caring anymore. Her pride was on the line and she wasn't going to let it fall. In a quick motion, she flicked her hand out, pressing the button on the pokeball and releasing her lady pokemon. The elegant pokemon ran her paw down her 'dress' and smoothed it out, her red eyes narrowed slightly in an attempt to keep the sand out her eyes. " I know…this shouldn't take too long at least," the girl said as she watched her pokemon show her dislike of the weather. She looked up at her opponent, seeing him without a pokemon. "Are you just going to stand there? We have things to do, I'd imagine."

"Yeah," He replied, releasing the pokemon in the pokeball he had already drawn, "I have a schedule and I do need to keep to it." The pokemon he released was the opposite of her lady pokemon. It stood proud and tall with the large blue blades on its arms held out aggressively, but elegantly. The markings on its head and chest were the same shade instead of the usual green, but everything else was the same from the triangle sticking out its flattened chest to its long white legs. Hikari blinked, trying to see if she was seeing things or not, but it was real. This boy did indeed have a shiny gallade. She would have cracked a small smile if she could remember how to do it. So she just settled for her normal emotionless expression.

A wild giggle erupted from the side of the field and both of the teens standing for battle looked at the source, the red haired girl. She was laughing so hard she had to hold onto her houndoom for support. The pokemon looked almost unaffected besides the look of apology he was giving the combatants. After a minute of her amused cackling from the side, she sat up, wiping tears from her eyes. "Oh that's fucking HALARIOUS," She cooed gently," Never thought I'd see a fight start like this. Oh man. That's fantastic. Ok, back to your scuffle."

Hikari took the chance to get a surprise attack on the gallade. "Magical Leaf." Gardevior swept her hand across the air and glowing green leaves followed in its wake, flying towards her opponent. Without his master having to say a word, the gallade's arms glowed and he flicked out his arm, sending a flurry of luminescent blue circles to meet the leaves, they contacted and caused a little explosion that shrouded the field with colorful smoke. Hikari snorted and was about to command her pokemon to fie another attack into the smoke, but the gallade shot out with his blades poised high for a strike. Gardevior, afraid the attack would cause damage, instinctively used teleport to get out of the way. Suddenly, her body was in the middle of the field, but the sudden change in location didn't deter Gallade's attack. He pivoted on his foot and dashed to her new location across the field, and once again, she teleported elsewhere. He hissed in annoyance and followed her once more, and as she teleported somewhere else, with an order from his trainer, Gallade did as well. He landed right behind the gardevior and managed to get an advantage on the smaller pokemon. With one fell swipe, he drew the glowing blade up her back, making a large incision up her spine.

Gardevior squealed in pain, causing her owner to narrow her eyes in impatience and anger. "Confusion," she said to her pokemon. Gardevior's eyes, without missing a beat, glowed a soft purple. Gallade couldn't react in time and his body glowed a soft blue, like his bladed arms, and he rose up into the air, unable to control his own upward motion. He thrashed and tried to cat at his invisible bonds, but he was smashed into the ground by the psychic force. He hissed and hopped back up to his feet, his head pounding from the blow he received, but Gardevior had launched another wave of leaves towards him. Groggily, Gallade lifted his arm, sending out a defensive wave of phychic circles, but some of them missed and a few of the remaining leaves sliced his arms, drawing a small amount of blood. On the other hand, the lady pokemon didn't quite see the psychic attacks coming and was hit dead center, knocking her back. Gallade saw his chance, and went for it. He used teleport once more to move himself into the air, his blades drawn back in preparation for the final attack. He landed and was just about to swipe across her thin throat, when there was an interruption. "STOP STOP STOP," The red haired devil screamed. Gardevior, her crimson eyes locked onto Gallade's, dropped her arm, which was held out and holding another magical leaf attack. The little leaves fluttered to the ground, any psychic power gone from them.

She clapped, her hands slapping together in a messy fashion. "ooh~ That was actually amusing. Im not gonna let anyone die today though; too much mourning for what little time we have. So you two!" she said, pointing to the trainers, "can stop. Hikari, you have the rest of the day off to tend to your Gardevior. She has a pretty nasty cut. AND YOU, mystery boy, may come in and speak with me. Whatever you must talk to me about better be Veeery important." She stood, wobbling a bit and walked towards the boy with the black faux hawk. "But you know what? Ou have yet to tell me your name. Its rather rude to not say such a thing before you meet someone." She had failed to mention that she hadn't gove him a chance to state his name, but he brushed that of, holding out his hand.

"Tsuchiya…Kei Tsuchiya."

"Oh, getting all fancy with your naming. Whateva, my dear. Call me as you please. But my real name is Varushka. Varushka Espinoza," She said in a drawling, mocking tone. She slapped her hand into his and gave a squeeze before letting go and wobbling off to the entrance in the ground. "Better follow me, dearie. It's awfully easy to get lost in here." And Kei did, not sure what he had gotten himself into.

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><p>This chapter is done, onto the next!<p>

Just a little note from me:

Family problems aren't fun. Computer problems aren't fun. They're both happening to me. I don't want to get too specific, but I may not update for a long time. I can only write for like…2 hours before my computer dies. Family problems also can keep me away from the internet, so even if I do finish the next chapter, I might not be able to upload it.

So, I apologize for the wait, and hopefully, since I'm on winter break, I'll be able to crank out the next chapter before School starts again.

Taken legendaries are:

Entei, Suicune, Mewtwo, Zekrom, Keldeo, Regigigas, Deoxys, Darkrai, Uxie, Giratina, Latios, and Celebi

If I forgot a pokemon that was already taken (You know who you are if its not up here) give me a PM. Just a PM. Okay! Thank you.

PS: That character named Varushka, was adapted from Xylia in my previous story. It was going to be her dark side, just in case you got curious. So to those from PL:V1, That basically is Xylia.

Thank you for looking, so Review, favorite and watch out for updates~


	4. Chapter 3

_I only own the plot and my character(s)._

_Chapter 3: Everybody __Hates__ Her_

"Welcome him with food and gifts an' all that other crap! We have a guest~!" Varushka chimed, happy as a Clampearl despite nearly tripping down the steps every second. People looked up at her booming, obnoxious voice, some scowling at her presence, some looking worried, and some looking a little relieved. "We brought food and clothing for all you, so once it's down here, I better not see any looters or you know what your punishment is," She cooed into the open air. Clenching her hand tight, she dragged her thumb across her throat, signifying her threat of death to anyone who dared steal. With a cackle, she began to skip across the damp floors, stumbling as she did so and scrambling to stay on her feet.

Kei had to resist the urge to cover his face in embarrassment; he knew she was nutty, but this…was so completely crazy… Was he right in coming here? Maybe he should have waited… _Whatever…_He was too far in over his head now to back out. He'd at least talk to her, and if she couldn't help him, he'd just leave. Simple as that. That was his plan. While keeping an eye on the woman's red hair, which seemed impossible to lose anyway, he looked for possible exits, but to his dismay, there was none. This place was a fortress…or a prision… He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He needed to get everything straightbefore he talked so he wasn't just winging it. He didn't need to look like a fool.

He must have gotten lost in thought while walking, but he almost fell over Varushka, who stopped in front of a white tent marked with the traditional red medical cross. _Was she hurt? _No… She didn't look like she was in pain. Spinning clumsily on her heel, she locked her tired red eyes on his gold ones. "Ok. Show the woman in there your hands and tell her you have first priority from me. She'll know. Forget anyone else in there. Just get cleaned up and ask someone to show you my location. Simple enough, eh? I have something to do, but it shouldn't take too long. So don't be late and don't try to get out with your hands not cleaned ," she said, putting her orders bluntly for him. Before he could pretest (not that he would), she had already turned and walked off towards another tent and slipped in with urgency in her wobbly steps. The last thing she saw of her was her tanned scarf disappearing into the flaps of the tent.

Her houndoom remained by him though, his eyes focused on Kei. He lashed his tail and nodded his muzzle towards the tent, pointing him in. Kei snorted and walked in, pushing the limp material of tent out of his way, trying not to smear red blood all over the already messy entrance. Taking a glance around, he almost couldn't believe all the blood and surgery that was going on at this very moment. People were mangled beyond comprehension, their hands applying pressure on their wounds in a feeble attempt at trying to keep their blood from spilling everywhere. Some men and women were on the side, completely sliced through, their organs and bones visible through the lacerations on their bellies and bodies. Some had giant slashed down their faces, permanently marring their once normal face. Some were salvageable, but they were sitting down, a towel to their face while their comrades were trying to be saved. The sad thing that Kei knew were most of these people getting surgery wouldn't live…they didn't have the equipment, and he could see that. The dirty atmosphere didn't help either and it made the wounds on his hand sting. He couldn't imagine the pain these people were going through…it was just…wrong…

But it was just war…

He sighed and looked at all the people, and then his eyes landed on a little girl holding her ear, which must have been sliced off. Blood was running down her tanned face and onto her once pink dress. He frowned and looked at his hands, then back at her, then once more at his hands before scowling. Of all people _he _got first priority. That was just mocking him. He was just like them if not lower. He was just a guest, nothing more. So after a moment's hesitation, he dropped his hands and walked out, not wanting to see the dead and dying anymore. Now where was someone who could show him to her tent…? Kei glanced down at Houndoom, who seemed to raise a brow at him in confusion. "What?" Houndoom whuffed and trotted along. The teen followed him, hoping the pokemon was showing him the way to the female trainer.

They passed many tents that were strewn about. Some were open, allowing a peek into the lives of the people who resided here. They had simple necessities like water and a box for their clothing as well as a pallet for their bed. It looked uncomfortable, but quaint. He spotted a few people he saw earlier, one of which being the man who tried to kill him earlier. Their gazes met and the two exchanged a silent spark of hatred between them with a scowl before going back to their business. He saw that most of the entrances to tents were closed, providing people with their own little area of solitude. No one seemed happy…but they didn't seem particularly unhappy…they just were… Glad to be living, but wanting a better situation.

Houndoom barked loudly and slipped into a tent at the end of the main hall, flicking his tail to invite him in. Kei walked to the dingy brown tent and pushed open the entrance carefully, not wanting to disturb anything on it that might anger her. She wasn't even awake though… for a woman with a lot on her mind, she looked awfully relaxed on her pallet, just splayed out and relaxed, her hair loosely undone from its ponytail and splattered across the pillow like bright red blood. Her scarf was tossed to the side of her head and her coat was next to it, folded up messily. She looked peaceful for once, but her face was contorted into a slight frown. Kei watched her for a moment, debating on what to do. He didn't want to get her angry by waking her up, but sitting there and waiting for her to wake up might be kind of creepy… He just watched her for a moment, trying to decide, but something on her neck make him stop thinking for a moment and inspect closer.

Imprinted right in the middle of her throat was a doggish paw that was a deep red shade similar to her hair. Trailing behind it and disappearing down her back was a few flames that seemed to burst to life on her skin. He could almost feel the heat tingling off of them where he stood. Around it and down her to her collar bone were tiny scars that looked like scratches. They littered her neck like freckles on a toddler. His brows furrowed in confusion. _If she had her tattoo in such an obvious place, why bother hiding it? _After watching her for a minute, contemplating what to do, he turned on his heel and walked towards the exit, deciding that it would be best to just wait outside for her. He reached out for the cloth that served as a door, but before he could do much else, she spoke.

"I'm awake stupid."

He growled in annoyance and dropped his arm, then looked over his shoulder at her. "How long?" he asked, trying to keep his temper even.

"Since you popped in. You waltzed over here and watched me…" she said, not moving. Her eyes were open though and staring lazily at the ceiling. "It's not that easy to fall asleep around here during the day…It's not easy to fall asleep here at night either… Bah. I don't sleep anyway. I just pass out eventually." She raised her finger and traced an invisible pattern in the ceiling, though it was probably just squiggles since her fingers trembled and swayed so much from the alcohol. She stopped and dropped her hand, then rose like some sort of corpse from the grave.

"Well. You wanted to talk to me. Sit down and speak. I don't have all day, so let's make it snappy," she said, flicking her hand to a small box at the front of her pallet. "There's no real chairs here, and unless you wanna sit on the floor, that's the best you've got."

Kei sighed and sat on the weathered box and focused his eyes on her before speaking. "You basically trashed The Entertainment Ward-"

"Nimbasa City."

"What?"

"It's not "the Entertainment Ward'. The name is Nimbasa City. Yah not among the Monarchy anymore. Speak properly of the city names so we both are on the same subject," she said, her voice mocking his when he spoke of The Entertainment Ward. He frowned and shook his head, but continued despite his annoyance.

"My point is that it was pretty much wiped out in a matter of minutes… Pretty terrifying if not amazing," he said. He watched in satisfaction as a cocky smile worked its way onto her face. That's just what he wanted; she needed to be in a good mood for anything to go his way. He continued on, rummaging around in his pockets for one of his smokes. "You seemed to be enjoying yourself a bit ore then the rest…You don't seem to like the Monarchy either…I don't like them at all, so I have a proposition for you." She raised a crimson eyebrow in interest, urging him on. "We both have a common dislike, and you're excellent at destroying things, so we should gather and rebel against the Monarchy. Take them out. Take over."

She watched him, her lips pursed together in deep thought. "So. You're asking me to send out all of my people so I can watch them get rolled over by those tanks and killed, or worse, taken and have god knows what done to them." She stood up and crouched in front of him, her eyes trained on his and narrowed like a predator's, obviously displeased. "We're not out camping for the hell of it. We're wanted men and women, and luv, I'm at the top ov the list. You obviously saw my neck. It wasn't a self inflicted wound or tattoo. It's a…birthmark for lack of a better word. And lemme guess, you have one too."

Before Kei could move, she had tackled him to the ground and pinned him by his throat, her insanely sharp nails digging lightly into his jugular, preventing him from moving without getting sliced on the vital vein. Her face was inches above his, her wavy locks falling down in his face, making a wall of flames around his face. They smelled like the desert and smoke, an odd combination that was overpowered by the fruity alcohol on her breath. With her free hand, she flicked open the zipper of his jacked and pushed the material to the side, leaving his chest open. Over his heart, in thick black, italicized ink, 'CLI' was scrawled out, one fifty one in roman numerals. With a small smirk, she placed her hand over the mark gently, her fingers burning against his skin. Kei blinked and watched her, panicked at not able to move, but his expression was neutral and not displaying the discomfort. _What was this? Rape? Could women even do that to men?_ She broke him out of his thoughts and spoke.

"Not everyone is quite as branded as you and me, you know? You think you were special? Yeah. Ya are. What's number one-fifty-one in the pokedex? That's mewtwo, buddy," she said, her voice lower ad matching the look in her eyes. "You seem pretty smart, you know? So I won't tell you exactly. All the more fun for ya. A game if ya really think about it." She sat up, putting most of her weight on his stomach, and removed her hands from his body, taking warmth with her. She let her legs relax and fall against his shoulders, allowing him a view of her dusty white stockings. She placed her elbows against her thighs and rested her head upon her hands, now watching him with interest in her gaze, her small smirk never flitting off her face. "You get it?"

He growled and narrowed his eyes at her. "I suppose so. You never rejected my offer."

"The time will come for me to consider it, but not, I do- OH. HOLY CRAP." When the words 'I do' left her mouth, Kei reached up and pushed the drunkard over easily by her side and assumed a dominating position on top of her. His golden eyes were narrowed in anger at her not even thinking it over and a scowl was painted on his maw. He had her pinned by her wrists with one hand, which he held above her head and in her mass of hair that was splayed around her head like magma. She blinked, her eyes wide and surprised at his sudden aggression and realization how much bigger he was then her. Instead of narrowing her eyes in anger, or even looking at him in fear or some natural emotion, the crazy woman began to cackle under him, not even bothering to try to escape. Her chest heaved with the merry, but obnoxious sound and she threw her head back as far as she could without hurting herself. Kei's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he watched her for a second, but before he could do much more, she had kicked him off with a mighty slam into his chest with both of her feet, sending his skidding back across the damp ground. In one surprisingly smooth motion, she hopped up onto both of her feet and wobbled over to him, holding out her hand. Begrudgingly, he took it and stood, but she pulled him forward and down forcefully and smashed their lips together, but only for a second.

Unsurprisingly, she tasted of alcohol that made Kei want to gag, but out of both generosity and the heat of the moment he didn't do anything but stand there in surprise, not that he could. He could feel the color tinge his cheeks and turn them an almost unnoticeable shade of pink. Her smirk ran wider against his mouth as she too felt the heat radiating off of his face. She released his hand before breaking the connection between them, taking the heat with her. Her smirk now a full blown cocky grin, she walked to the entrance, only looking over her shoulder once as she was about to exit. "You're an interesting one. You're not leaving this place, just to let you know. And it's not even just me sayin' that. It would be in everyone's best interest. Go an' meet some people like ya," she placed her hand against her small chest in the same place his mark was, "Make some friends. It's no fun unless you have one, and m'dear. I dun't count. I'm no one's friend." And with that, she went out of the tent, leaving the boy on his own. Her dog followed her, shooting an angry look at him, but absconded the scene before a fight could break out. But, before he left, Kei saw a little green branch sticking out of its teeth, the little berries bright and contrasting against the deep green, but others clear and unnoticeable. He scowled and wiped his mouth. _Mistletoe…Was it Christmas time already? _With a frown still on his face, he walked out, not sure whether he was pleased or not with the outcome of their meeting.

No matter what his mouth said, what just happened was a surprise, but not unpleasant, not that it would be something he would ever admit or go brag about. Women still weren't his top priority, but this one held more importance then just some petty relationship. She held power over this whole group, and by god, she ruled with an iron fist. He'd have her power and make his dreams come true if it was the end of him.

_God damn woman__**. **_He thought as he placed a smoke to his mouth. Anything to get the alcohol taste away. It worked on relaxing him just a touch. He wasn't sure how long he could deal with her until he just snapped, even being as patient as he was. _God damn Woman..._

* * *

><p>Varushka chuckled to herself at her mischief, jolly at her own trickery and guile. <em>Oh what fun~ and the day was just getting started. <em>Feugo had been walking around with her favorite part of Christmas in his maw. It brought such great memories and created such amazing new ones. If no one else was having fun with Christmas, she certainly would. There were many men and boys around that she could whore herself off to, not that she'd stay for longer than a smooch. _So many men, so little time~ Who next? _She thought as she walked, placing her finger on her lips and playing with them idly. Who did she want to mess with the most right now? She had already gotten the new kid, but who else? Her grin, which had fallen, rose once more. "Jaaaaaack." She said out loud in a drawling tone. With that, she skipped off, stumbling as she did. People watched her, deep frowns and scowls on their faces, but none dared cross her blatantly. They were too afraid.

Not that she cared.

She never cared.

And no one ever cared for her.

Not that she cared.

Only one.

But he was long gone and she didn't like to dwell on the past.

She didn't care.

She never cared.

With another giggle, she slipped into the skeleton's tent, her hair still undone and messy and her scarf still on her bedside. Even her coat, which she liked to keep on at all times, was left on her mat, strewn about messily. She'd have to fold it later. For now though, she was going to have some fun screwing around today.

_Merry Fuckin' Christmas._

* * *

><p>Bam. Second chapter before Christmas. I thought, while getting on with the plot, I should throw something adorable in there that also had to do with the holiday. What better then to have my character whore herself out?<p>

…

A lot of things, but that's not the point.

Arceus and Cobalion have been added to the list.

Anyway, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all, and Happy New year should I not post another chapter up, but I hope I can!

Remember to Review, favorite and watch out for updates!


	5. Chapter 4

_I only own my OC(s) and the plot_

_Chapter 4: I'm Still In Control_

Jack emerged from his tent, a customary scowl on his face, displeased at what had just gone down in his own home. He didn't like Varushka, the flaming, Russian accented, drunk ass bitch. She did what she wanted and didn't have a care about anyone else. Not one. Zip. All she cared for was her own sick entertainment, which she had milked out of him a few minutes ago before moving onto her next victim. Although he wasn't pleased, he did try to pick apart the events to see exactly what had gone wrong.

* * *

><p>He had heard her call for him a mile away, her bored drawl not full of mischief among other things. He was her target for whatever game she had planned in her head, but Jack didn't like that. Not one bit. There was nowhere for him to run since she was making a beeline for the only entrance and exit to his little tent. She would find him in a second and make a fool out of him in public, so he opted for being humiliated in his own privacy should he have no other choice. If he was lucky, which he usually was, though not of late, she would change courses…Maybe if he was asleep, she would leave him alone. So in a feeble attempt to evade her, he burrowed into his mat and sheets, trying to disappear. <em>Become one with the blankets…don't pay attention…No one is here….<em>

"Jaaaaaackk! There you are. I've been looking for ya for a couple of minutes. Should'a known better! O'course someone would be in their own home." He groaned at her obnoxious voice and tried to resume his faux nap in hopes that she would leave him. "Oh don't gimme that. Up ya slacker!" She said. He could almost see her smug expression even though his eyes were tightly closed.

"No. I'm trying to sleep."

"And I'm tryin' to wake ya up."

"I can see that. What could you possibly want from me that's so urgent."

"I'm on a mission righ' now. Yah a big part ov it. So sit up so I know you're listening to me."

"Wooow. So you need me for something possibly important? Never thought I'd live to see this," he said as he rose, the sarcasm obvious in his tone. "Talk."

"Nope, dun't need you ta talk." He frowned at this, displeased by her snarky response to his demand. Not wanting to behold her…._glory…._he kept his eyes shut, which was probably exactly what she wanted, the snake. It gave her the opportunity to strike, which she gladly did. Faster then a bullet, she pushed him back roughly and scurried on top of him. Before he could even say one word, she silenced any complaints he had coming with a rough smooch, her hands restraining the taller man. Her nails dug into his shoulders, piercing the top layer of clothing with the tips. Both their crimson eyes were wide open now, hers narrowed in triumph and his widened slightly in shock. _The hell…? _He could feel her smirk slither across his lips and she softly bit on his bottom lip, pulling ever so slightly before releasing and getting up and out of her provocative position on his waist. She was up, no color on her face, no other feeling besides her ever present arrogant grin and her slightly narrowed eyes. Even her eyebrow were raised in amusement, looking for some sort of reaction from him. Seeing him just look up at her, his eyes slits of red fury, gave her all the pleasure in the world and she set out to exit. "Two down, about 30 more to go. Looong day ahead of me."

He growled lowly and rose up himself, his long cloak lingering around him like some sort of livid, irritated waterfall of smoke. There was no way in hell she was going to waltz in here, start stealing kisses when she pleased, and move onto another person. _No. He'd embarss her too. _He wanted to see her squirm for once in her damn life. He wanted to show her that she wasn't some damn queen and that he could be in control too. He strode up behind her and yanked her back in with one of his large hands wrapped around her bicep, earning a yelp of surprise from her. He wrapped his second arm around her middle and lifted her up slightly. "Where the fuck do you think you're going?" Before she had a chance to shoot some stupid response back at him, he leaned down and sank his teeth into her neck, piercing the scarred skin that was already there. He could taste the blood as it began to seep into his slightly opened mouth. He could taste the unpleasant tang of Alcohol on his tongue and he frowned. _Was she made of the nasty substance?_ In a fit of surprise and pain, she hissed and wriggled in his grip, a small groan escaping her throat. Liking that she was knocked down a pedestal or two, he bit her once more, earning another groan and stronger thrashing from her.

After a minute or two of that, he neck was bruised up and he was the one with a smug look on his face as he released her out into the world one more. His grin didn't long though. She grinned widely, her teeth glittering in mischief. "You know. My eighteenth birthday isn't until January. I hope you enjoyed munchin' on a seventeen year old. It was considered pedo. Though I won't lie, it was rather…invigorating or provocative…whatever floats ya boat. Try again when I'm a little older, m'dear." Tossing a peace sign over her shoulder, she bolted out, intent on getting her wounds tended to.

He blinked, not sure what had just happened. She was a step ahead of him and was always in a good position, no matter what happened. He could shoot her in the back and she would probably make the best out of it by getting a pity party and making him look like the bad guy. He snarled deeply at her, though she probably wouldn't hear him anyway, and stormed out moments later to find her gone.

* * *

><p>What had gone wrong? <em>Everything. <em>He pressed his palm against his face and shook his head. _God..damn…Woman…_

* * *

><p>Varushka, now having her bite wounds cleaned and patched up with large white bandages taped to the spots on her neck, was in line for dinner, her bowl ready for food. It would probably be halfway decent today, especially since she had been extra sure to direct everyone to raid all the groceries and food vendors of everything edible they had. Spices and ingredients were abundant and a taste sensation was almost guaranteed, especially since she had been eating on pop-tarts and Vodka all week once they ran out of good food. Speaking of which, she wanted a swig… She had gotten extra special alcohol, a flavor she hadn't tried yet. Lum berry was it? Well, it was supposed to be better for the health, which was such a contradictory statement, she loved the drink so much more. She reached down as she usually would, searching for her coat pocket when she realized that it was back at her tent. She dropped her hand and scowled. She didn't want to be sober. Being sober meant headaches and remembering things she didn't want to remember…<p>

That's why she drank in the first place…

But, she had been waiting in line for like…an hour, and she sure as hell didn't want to get out now and get back in when it was even longer. So, putting her own impatience above her need for alcohol, she stayed in line, playing impatiently with her bowl in an attempt not to smash it in a fit of rage and anxiety.

She wasn't normally this way, only when her blood alcohol was beginning to deplete. She didn't like this feeling; she didn't like it at all. _Hurry up hurry up hurry up. _The line began to crawl a little faster at her silent orders, and after roughly ten minutes of her fidgeting, it was her turn to receive her food. She got a scoop of potatoes, a slice of meatloaf covered in thick brown gravy that reeked of garlic, and some peas to top it. She smiled softly, though, it was a large, vicious looking drunk smile that everyone recognized on her face. The server gave a weak smile back, which pleased the woman enough to make her take her leave and go sit down.

She didn't smile, she sneered and snickered at everyone, and she didn't really know much else to do. She was too slap happy most of the time and sadistic when she was not that no one tried to communicate with her, or even insult her. It was a rarity that she ever spoke to anyone personally as she did today, though, it was business and it didn't really count, but whatever…

She spied out the corner of her eye a familiar face sitting at a table in the middle of a crowd. His faux hawk was easily distinguishable from a crowd though he was buried in so deep. Without really thinking-or caring- how uncomfortable he might be around her, she swooped right through the crowd and stood behind him, watching him for a second, before putting her bowl down on the table and her head on his. Her arms snaked around his neck gently, but firmly enough to hold him in place against her chest. He stiffened under her, a little surprised that she was holding him, but did nothing else. With one of her trademark smiles, she cooed gently, looking at the company he had at the table.

There was a younger girl to the side and a much, much larger man with her. The girl, who she was able to identify because she could think without the alcohol fogging up her mind, was named Emma. She got here not too long ago, when she was fourteen a year ago? Ha, something like that. She remembered trying to convince the girl to join their merry ground, but she was stubborn, and straight out refused. They talked for hours, neither of them moving. After a while, Varushka must have said something that struck her fancy. She was normally sized and an inch or two shorter then Varushka. Her hair was long, maybe even longer then the red haired woman's with funky bangs that were chopped in a odd way, as if she cut them herself or let a child cut them, though…it did fit her in a way. On her head was a thin gold circlet that draped itself elegantly around her cranium, but dropped dramatically down her forehead and hold a large, ovular red crystal in the middle of her head, just above her brows and her sleepy looking blue eyes. _Maybe she just needed a good naap~ _But she was dressed simply in night clothing right now, as if she was going to spend the rest of the day in bed. Her Creamy pants had little hearts all over it and an occasional skitty or marill or other adorable (psh) little pokemon, but her shirt was a faded red that was probably just worn with age.

The man she sat by dwarfed everyone, even the tall, lanky Jack Skellington. Not only was he incredibly tall at over six and a half feet, but he had muscles like some sort of machamp. His skin was dark, but his eyes were an odd light color that weren't often seen. Despite looking like a body builder, he was dressed like a monk. What had he called his garb? Hamaka…Hakama…Whatever… He had told Varuska of his 'spiritual journey' or 'enlightenment' or whatever he called it, but she really didn't listen to the bald man. She didn't want him here for his spiritual jibber-jabber. That wasn't her thing. He was patient, but intimidating and therefore was a good protector of the children while the adults were out doing hard labor. He wasn't one that most would go out of their way to mess with. So she knew she didn't need to worry about the kids. Not that she really did anyway; she didn't particularly like the little grubs…

"So whatcha talking about?" She butted in rather rudely. Normal humans would wait for their way in, but not the drunk red head. When she wanted to join a conversation, she did. Whenever and however possible. She heard Kei mumble something, but barely noted it as she snuggled into his black hair, messing it up as she did.

"Oh, hello. I did not see you approach," Issa, the mocha skinned man, said. Varushka looked at him, just watching him for a second from her comfy perch, and then her smile turned into one of her lighter, rarer drunken grins. One that you would see on a happy drunk that was in some sort of fantasy.

"You talk funny, ya' know that?"

He sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "You say this every time we speak, you do realize that?"

"Prolly…It don't matter though. I wanted to come over and give this one a hug or whatnot," she gave him a tight squeeze, making him cough from the pressure, then released him, "Imma head off. Buh bai~!" She skipped off, her boots skimming the ground and making her stumble as she did.

* * *

><p>Kei sighed softly and rubbed his cheeks, trying to get rid of what color was there. He could feel the heat come as he found his head squished into her breasts, but he couldn't bring himself to try to get her off, mostly out of fear that she would make it more embarrassing should he draw attention to it. So he just ignored her and continued eating. He made two new acquaintances…not friends…acquaintances. Kei didn't like the term 'friends' because he didn't need them. He didn't want them to be exact. They would just hold him back. And he hadn't really even spoken to them, he just gave them his name and sat down to eat. That was the extent of their conversation before she popped up and made everything awkward.<p>

"I apologize for her…She can be a little…straightforward sometimes…" Kei glanced up and locked eyes with another boy who was standing by him with a soft smile. "She doesn't know how to hold her tongue sometimes, but she's very nice when she wants to be…She tries…she honestly does, but she's just had so much stress on her shoulders, it's hard. So be patient…She seems to have taken an interest in you," he said in a sheepish voice as he fiddled with his own food on his tray, which barely looked as if it had been touched. The raven haired boy raised a brow at this new comer, not sure why he was defending her so straight out. "Oh! Silly me, I forgot to introduce myself." He sat and held his hand out, "I'm Kaiser. And you are?" Kei put down his spoon and gripped his hand, giving it a curt shake.

"Kei…" The boy smiled and dropped his hand after a minute, then played with his food, unsure what to do. "Why defend her actions? Is there something between you two?" Kaiser blinked, then laughed.

"Oh no! Not at all. We're related. I'm her twin."

Kei blinked once, then twice, trying to distinguish whether this kid was for real. _He didn't look related to her… _The only thing was his crimson eyes and maybe their practical style…now that he looked more closely, he could see a small similarity in their appearance. Kaiser had a sharp face too and his hair had small waves in it, even if it was tied back high on his head with a thin blue ribbon. He was lanky like her too, but even smaller…he looked as if he had no muscles under his baggy green army jacket. Also, he noticed that there was a tattoo on his neck too, this having a blue paw with gentle ocean waves rolling down his neck and disappearing under his collar. His hair, a dark blue color, must have thrown him off. It was so vastly different from his fiery sister's that it was unnatural. "Oh…"

"People don't like to think we're related…we don't act alike or really look alike. But we are." He looked at his food, stabbed the pile of potatoes and then offered it to Kei. "I don't eat half as much as her for starters. Do you want this before I give it to someone else?" Kei shook his head. "Oh, you don't seem to be much of a talker…That's fine. " He gave a small smile and looked at a table of toddlers nearby, watching them with an admiring gaze. "I've always liked kids, though, she never wants me to have them under the excuse that she'll be stuck with them. One day though~" he chimed whimsically before he stopped talking for a good while, allowing the table to sit in silence as they dined.

Kei had been there for less then a day, but so much had happened, it felt like a week, or maybe even a dream. If this was what every day felt like, he couldn't imagine what an entire month felt like…or a year. He'd probably go crazy soon if he was actually forced to stay here…But what he had been dreaming of, what he craved most in life, was so close, he could almost feel its touch. He still had a chance to make something change in the world. And he couldn't pass it up.

Time flew by, and before he knew it, it was just him. Kaiser got up and left not too long after the other two did, waving at him gently before disappearing into the dark mess of tents. He sighed and looked around, and suddenly noticed that there were a bunch of people congregating around, a few with torches. Pokemon were squealing and people were complaining, but he couldn't quite distinguish what they were exactly yelling about. _Leader…abusive…angry…drinking… _Oh…they must be angry about Varushka's rule… _So what were they going to do about it? _They began to move to her tent, but the woman must have heard their chattering and emerged, her coat and scarf on now and her bottle to her lips. He couldn't see her clearly and decided to move in to see what the commotion was about.

"You're our leader, correct?" One man questioned. He was older and dressed in a simple brown tee shirt and jeans and his bark hair was messy. Behind him was his wife and children, all looking similar to him. "Then why do you drink? You don't care for anyone else but yourself! Give up your position before I take it from you."

"We'll fight you for leadership of ourselves!"

"A democracy!"

"Equality!"

Everyone was chiming in now. She blinked her red eyes and watched them, then busted out laughing. "Oh you guys are seeriouss! Bah! That's fan-fuckin'-tastic!" Mothers scowled at her language and covered their children's ears. "HA! Know what? I need a good break. So yeah. Have fun by yourselves. I reeeallly don't mind at all! Just don't come crying to me when you all start to die out!" Her ruckus caused her houndoom at her heels to start howling joyously as well. She smiled widely and patted tha canine's head. "I'll give your fuckers three days. THREE DAYS to have your fun. If you have manage to screw yourselves over and come asking me for solutions, then I'm killing whoever decided it was a good idea to overthrow me. If you manage to do well and prosper, fuck, stay that way." She grinned wickedly and turned, going into her tent, an ominous wind passing through the air at her words.

"Heed my warning though. Shit's about to go down, so have yourself prepared. I won't help you until you ask. I'll even stay in my tent and catch up on my Z's. So have a fucking ball and deplete our supplies all you please, but be awake that without me, you're all going to die within a week. Well, those of you with a mark might take a month, if you can figure out how to work it. So have fun. Call me when the fireworks go off. I'll be waiting~"

* * *

><p>Woo~ Happy new years from me to you~ So I hope you enjoyed. I gave you a lot to think about here, so start thinking~ I'll be waiting to hear your reviews.<p>

Oh, by the way, whoever finds the homestuck reference in here gets bonus points. :D

Taken pokemon: Entei, Suicune, Raikou,Mewtwo, Zekrom, Keldeo, Regigigas, Deoxys, Darkrai, Uxie, Giratina, Latios, Celebi, Arceus, Cobalion, Jirachi, Azelf.


	6. Chapter 5

I nly own my OCs and the plot.

_Chapter 5: Don't Mess With Me_

Varushka's warning was instantly discarded and the people were as happy as a heard of Clefaries. The people had a good time for three days with food being available and medical care being handed out to everyone. Everyone seemed to brighten up as the woman's rule disappeared. It was almost as if the place has become some sort of garden of Eden or piece of heaven. All was well…except for Kaiser, who stayed with his sister for the three days of merriment, bringing her food and sharing stories with her. He watched the people sadly, disappointed at their unwise decision, but said nothing to them and allowed them to live their mistakes.

Hikari didn't like it. It was like some sort of city again. Not a refuge. It was too happy for her tastes and she could feel something bad was going to happen to the carefree crowds that could have been prevented. She was one of the few people who liked their so called 'dictator's' rule. It was orderly, neat, precise, but no one else seemed to agree.

Finally, the afternoon of the third day came and when nothing had changed, she made her way to Varushka's tent, wanting to know what was going to happen. _Would this go on forever? _She certainly didn't hope it would. Surely she would take over again when she realized things were terribly wrong. Of course she would; it was a leader's job to do just that. Lead.

Right?

The blonde girl came upon the tent that the red head resided in and she gingerly parted that cloth doorway and peeked inside. The Russian accented woman was on her back on the ground, looking sadly at her empty canteen and jiggling it about in a feeble attempt to get the last few drops that clung to the sides of the metal can. Her hair was a mess and the dark bags that were under he eyes were now darkened and obvious against her pale skin. It was as if she hadn't slept for a few days…or eaten..She looked like she lost a little weight… _geeze…what happened?_

"Varushka…What happened? Everyone's acting like such idiots out ther-"

"Oh just get out. I know. They're all fools. They don't sense what's waiting for them just outside their comfy cave walls. I know though, and they're going to die. Then I'm going to have to take care of everything and clean and pick up and all this useless crap they make me do because they're just babies who don't know how to take care of themselves and-"

"You're rambling."

"I know. I really don't care either."

"Well, stop rambling and fix this mess before it spirals out of control."

"Fuck, its already all screwy as it is. Just leave. I'll come out eventually when I heard the screams of children and mothers all around me. Then they'll see why they need my protection."

"Sister…She's just trying to help-"

"Kaiser…I love you…But kindly shut up."

Kaiser sighed and hung his head in exasperation. His sister just didn't listen to anyone but herself sometimes…that was her greatest downfall. "Fine fine…" The boy got up and stretched for a moment. "We need lunch anyway. Only thing good about this is that they're cooking a lot better-"

"Please…Go."

"fine…Come Hikari," he said as he nodded out. Hikari frowned, but respected the red head's wishes and left with her brother. She did kind of admire the blue haired Russian. He was kinder though he had to deal with his monstrosity of a sister. And what a mess she was. And this was while she was sober…

The blonde was broken from her thoughts when Kaiser began to speak. "Don't hold anything against her…She's just worried for everyone…even though she shows in and a snarky sort of way. But she really does sort of care for everyone. She's a softie when she wasn't to be." Hakari was surprised that he described her as 'soft'. Varushka didn't look like the one to be soft at any time…Heck…she would probably kick a eevee if she saw one…and then serve it to her houndoom for dinner. That sounded just like her…Eevee with a side of lima beans and topped off with alcohol. _The breakfast of champions. _

"She grows on you, I promise. Just give her time to warm up. I heard she's pretty fond of you since you're so determined to make yourself stronger." He laughed softly and added in his own sneaky little remark. "And I don't blame her. She's at least got a good eye." He gave a wink that made Hikari look at him in confusion. _Whatever could he mean?_ "Nevermind Never mind. Lunch, m'dear?"

* * *

><p>Varushka was half awake when she heard the first scream. She thought it was her sober imagination running amuck again, so she dismissed it and returned to her slumbering state. Then the second came, twice as loud as the first. Then a third, fourth and fifth. By the time she had risen, a low growl of annoyance bubbling in her throat, there was a sonata of screams echoing throughout the cave. The shrill sound bounced about and seemed to aim themselves at the Russian girl's tent. She allowed a wicked smirk of success to slide onto her lips as she realized her predictions were true. They'd all die because they couldn't have their comforts and happiness. They'd all suffer at the hands of the invader she knew had come. Destruction was here.<p>

With that, she looked in the mirror and realized what a mess she was, Taking a brush and a golden ribbon, she set to work on taming her waterfall of fire with the screams eminating in the background to make her hum quietly as she worked. Young and old, man and woman, hard workers and lazy ones; no one was to be spared. No one. She made sure every strand was brushed neatly into a high ponytail that sat upon her head. She cooed softly to herself and stood, grabbing her coat, but leaving her scarf. It would only burn when she walked onto the battle field. No need for that. But the coat…it wouldn't. It was durable enough not to.

She looked around and saw men and women scurrying about like rodents on the ground, their children in tow behind them. Some were being guided by some of the marked ones. The kinder few were managing well on their own, so she left them to their own. She looked around, her crimson eyes surveying the damage. Before her was a monstrosity. Easily eight feet and three hundred pounds of pure muscle if not more. A scowl was written on his tanned face as he ripped apart families, smearing their blood everywhere. His pants must have been just as drenched as his blood bathed chest, but the black sweats prevented her from making such observations. She watched him pick up a middle aged man and chuck him towards the tents. He crashed into them and blood seeped onto the clean linen tent, staining it with such innocence forever. There were corpses everywhere and were of everyone. Men, women, children, teens…even babies. She spied the markings under the layer of blood and knew who he was. Wrath. A man who cared even less then her and was so impulsive, it was grotesque. She frowned and as a rock come towards her, she ducked and rolled to the side, a snarl ripping from her throat. Her hand wrapped around her pokeballs around her hips and yanked one out. As she enlarged it, she was met with the sight of another boulder heading towards her. It landed with a crash and produced a large puff of dust from the ground.

The giant, bald man bared his teeth, his eyed, whch were darkened with the tear marks of groudon, were narrowed, the golden irises angered. _Fucking bitch…Of all people to see here…Her? _That boulder better have crushed her. He watched it like a Braivery, and it jiggled a bit, then came back at him. The man snorted and crushed it with his fist easily, sending shards everywhere. He was surprised to see no smirk on her face, no emotion whatsoever. Even though he had known her for such a short period, she always had that cocky grin on her face. To see her without it was just off…In fact…she looked off…

"Heh…" she laughed softly, "I sort of expected one of you guys to be here. Whatever. I don't care. I seem to have to be the one to take you out now." She raised her hand and inspected it for any damage. Beside her, her flygon was loyally at her side, pebbles in his hand. He must have caught it for her. _Hmph… _She locked gazed with him, gold against crimson, both burning with unimaginable anger. "You know how this went down last time. It's just me, you and your grave. Sounds like fun, huh?"

He growled in rage, "The only grave will be yours- Wait. I lied. All of your people will die too. Sephora will be pleased once I get all these relics from you. Though…She specifically wanted you and your brother alive. Couldn't imagine why-" Varushka's hands burst into flames, her anger obvious in her postured and eyes.

"Shut up. I'll tell you this once more. Get yourself ready. I'll get your mark and we'll be done. You'll be dead and everyone can celebrate while feasting on your carcass. Let's more this outside, shall we? No need to suffocate in here, though, I'll win before anything can happen." The blaze on her hands danced around, but didn't burn. And the mark on her neck was shining like the sun. Wrath nodded and walked outside. As soon as he crossed the threshold of the entrance, his own flames came to life in his hands.

Each took their side of the makeshift stadium, their anticipation and fury heavy around them. People had begun to gather by the entrance, their faces sketched with awe scribble all over. Never had they seen such a spectacle. People with pokemon powers? Impossible! But here they were, their own shunned leader and their terrorist handling it like she had been doing it for years.

The woman flicked her hair back and watched the man's moves. "You've gotta come at me full force if you plan on surviving."

"Don't worry, I do plan on it."

With a smirk crawling onto both of their faces, they both let out ferocious roars and allowed their powers to spike. The sudden surge created massive flames that no one else except the two mysterious beings could have survived. The inferno was a beacon, burning bright for everyone to see. It flooded the sand like a wave and everything the blaze touched was burned instantly. The people were just lucky to be sheltered under the rocks.

Varushka's coat fluttered about her body like little tentacles or wings. She looked positively terrifying with her downward turned lips that were parted to show her now dangerously long canines. In fact, her entire body seemed a little different. Around her wrists and ankles, there were thick cuff like bracelets and on her back were large spikes, much like her patron pokemon's. In between them, a plume of smoke billowed out gracefully, but with a deadly edge. Her face was now colored like the dog legendaries. Around her lips and chin was a gray tinge and on the rest other face was a crimson much like her hair that spiked up slightly like stars. Her nails were longer too, more deadly.

On the opposite of the field, Wrath was too taking a deadly form. Red spikes began to form from his skull and spiked out in straight lines like a helmet, deforming his skull. His underbelly and chest began to become discolored in a gray tinge while his back and the rest of his body. On his waist, neck and cheeks, tiny white spikes poked out slightly. His teeth poked out slightly and his nails had transformed into massive claws that took up nearly his entire finger.

It was a battle of the titans and literally, they were fighting fire with fire.

Varushka was the first to leap and she was there one moment and gone the next. Her body slammed against Wrath's and before he could move his arm and swat her away, the girl was back on her side, crouching like a feral beast, her teeth bared and her crouch so low, she placed her hand onto the soil to keep balance. The larger man's eyes narrowed and he plunged his fingers into the earth and yanked out a giant stone from seeming nowhere. He released it and an unknown force enveloped it in a gentle shade of purple. With one flick of his massive hand, it was sent flying towards Varushka. Agilely, she ducked and rolled a few times, avoiding the smaller rocks, but when the largest came up, she grabbed the edge and with a mighty push of her hind legs, leap-frogged over it.

While still in the air, she flipped a few times before the speed of her rotations became so rapid, nothing could be distinguished besides her mane of hair. Then, the air around her body burst into lively fire and she made a straight beeline for her enemy, the flames licking the air like hungry predators. With narrowed eyes, Wrath countered it with a massive fire blast that spewed from his lungs like breath leaving his lips. It stopped Varushka's spinning in its tracks and pushed her back. She released it and flipped on her feet once more. Without a moment's hesitation, she made her move again, this time the flames on her hands roaring into an inferno. Her steps were quick and light and though her patron pokemon limited her speed, she was practically a rapidash compared to Wrath and his sluggish movements. She threw her fists at him as she approached, which he easily blocked with his plethora of muscles. She snarled and threw her other fist, which he caught and twisted in one smooth movement. Had the Russian girl not been so quick in her movements, he would have broken her wrist and the fight would be doomed, but she jumped and allowed him to use his own strength to propel her foot, which was also now engulfed in flames as well to bash against the side of his head. He released her in pain and she attached herself to his back and sunk her teeth into the tender part of his shoulder. It looked relatively painless against his shin, but when her teeth burst into flames as well, it looked horribly painful. He reached back and snatched the back of her jacket and ripped her off of him. Before he could carry out his intent to slam her onto the ground, the girl slipped out of her overcoat and landed on her feet a yard away. In another bout of speed, she leapt once more and attached herself to the front of his body now, her eyes crazed with pent up fury. She slammed her foot against his chest and sent him toppling back like a tower.

He managed to sneak an attack in on her though and as he fell, he used his earth powers to yank up a few rocks behind her and, unable to catch her balance, Varushka landed straight on them. They dug into her back and the sharp tips pierced her skin and she screeched in pain and struggled up. Wrath had managed to get back up to his feet and was coming up quickly on her. Still stuck on the stones, he managed to score a massive his on her belly, sending her into the ground with a little crater surrounding her body. Her eyes widened into the size of saucers and she coughed up a mouthful of blood, spattering it on her opponent face. His grin widened and stretched from ear to ear, and with sick pleasure, he continued to pound on her, finding joy in her little grunts and the sharp cracking of her ribs. She'd be pudding in no time and he could continue his work.

Kei watched from the sidelines, surprise and admiration scribbled all over his face. These were two people that knew what they were doing. Wrath was a monstrosity and as sinful as his name suggested, but Varushka surprised him the most. She wasn't drunk. She didn't stumble. She talked normally with no nicknames or slurs. Her accent wasn't as heavy and she looked…positively serious with no smirk on her face.

She was damn skilled too. Had she not taken that tumble onto those rocks, she would have won this quickly. But Jesus…Now he was beating her to death. All the blood on the sand was hers and he couldn't count the lacerations on her body that seeped through her brown tank top and dribbled down from her lips and onto her shorts. It was obvious against her pale skin. He didn't like seeing anyone suffer so much…He wouldn't let it happen any longer…he had to so something or risk his life along with everyone else's.

Just as he was about to move, there was a sudden stop in the pounding and her tiny hands were wrapped around his fists and holding them back, her eyes narrowed into deadly slits. With her own burst of strength, the red head pushed him off of her and onto his back. In a fluid motion, she jumped onto her feet and pounced onto him, her claws shredding his chest, sending his blood about and allowing it to mingle with hers. He howled in agony and tried to push her off, but as his hands went to her neck, she snatched them both and bent them back until she heard the sickening snap that she had been enduring on her own body. With only anger on her face, she stopped her mutilations and looked at him as if she was searching for something specific. Locking onto a spot on his belly where all the marks seemed to originate from, her hand was poised for the kill.

Her face was blank as she looked down at the man, who was panting in defeat below her. "You don't know how much I'm going to enjoy this. I lived thirteen years of my life under your rule in fear. I was afraid for my life every day and I never stopped wishing that I would be the one to cause your death. Well, my wish is granted and you're just doomed. So, I bid you adieu and wish you a horrible time in hell." With that, she sank her claws into his abdomen. He shrieked and feebly reached for her, but was unable to stop her as his wrists were broken. With a snarl, she yanked back, the skin on his belly bulging with some unknown force. Kei looked away just before the sickening rip of skin was heard and he was spared the sight of his intestines being removed forcefully from his body.

The crowd was silent as Varushka stood and looked about, her fist covered in blood and thin spatters crossed her face. She was covered with mostly her own blood that dripped from her lips and abdomen. In her hand was a little red orb that had tiny spindly metallic legs flailing about. It was dotted with similar patterns as its previous host was. Wrath had lost his marks though and now, aside from being huge, he looked normal. Dead, but positively normal.

The girl dragged herself onto one of the rocks that had been thrown in their brawl and clambered on top of it, her movements slow and pain filled. Every little twitch caused her to grimace. After a while, she did manage to stab upright on her makeshift podium and she looked down at the crowd, her expression cold against her swollen face. "That was exactly what I didn't want to happen. But instead of listening to me, you decided to have a fucking party. A FUCKING PARTY. LIVE IT UP WHY DON'T WE?" She snarled and arched her fingers, allowing them to burst into flames once more. "In case you haven't noticed, WE ARE AT WAR. And In war, NO ONE IS SPARED. Go take a look inside. Women, children, elderly, teenagers, respected members, everyone and anyone can die at anytime. I am her to make sure you at least have a fighting chance at a good life. That's been ruined though. While I was out of command, I was given reports by my brother. Guess what I was told. YOU WENT TO TOWN. That was the most idiotic thing I think I've ever heard." She took a deep breath and continued, the flames now extinguished like her mood.

"Who remembers who we're running from? Who prevents us from living normally?"

There was a tiny voice in the crowd that stated it after a tentative silence. "Monarchy…"

"Yes. The Monarchy. But guess what? They've found us again. Sephora knows just where we are. And more people like him will be coming unless we evacuate immediately, except they will be worse, more cunning, more sadistic and loyal to the monarchy. That was an easy battle compared to what's next. As you have noticed, I'm injured pretty badly. You idiot need someone with half a brain to lead you. So that's where I come in." She held up the little relic in her hand, which had retracted its legs and returned to a peaceful little ball. "This is what we're fighting for. There were forty-eight people with these, but as you know, there aren't any more. They've died. We have some, they have some. Should they get all of these, life on earth will be royally fucked. We will have no free will. So should you want to strive for peace and prosperity, you need to side with me. Should you not care, you need to come up so I can slaughter you right now. Either way, we have to fight. So be prepared. Everyone, gather up your belongings and pack. It's time for a move. We shall bury the dead before night falls and by the time the sun rises tomorrow, we will be long gone. Move! Quickly now! And someone find me a medic! "

Varushka coughed and hobbled down from her rock, but slipped. She would have fallen on her face, but an unexpected face caught her. She looked up, her eyes half lidded with the pain of broken ribs and bruised insides and saw Jack. Jack Skeleton. She allowed a softer version of her smirk to crawl up on her face and she watched him. "Trying to play the hero now, eh?"

"Shut up. Aren't you hurt enough as it is?"

"Yeah. My neck still hurts by the way."

"Be quiet you."

"Whatever…Patch me up…It hurts…"

Jack rolled his crimson eyes and resisted the urge to just toss her on the ground there. He only stopped her fall because she'd made up for her stupidity…for now that is. "You know what?" She said, "I always thought of you as that triple agent guy in the movies that betrays everyone, then comes back in to save the day but dies tragically in the end after he redeems himself. Yeah. That controversial main character."

"Shut up or I will drop you."

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><p>Took me long enough, eh? I think I've been updating pretty regularly compared to my other stories though. I should go update those…Naah~ I love this one too much. To be honest, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoy is as much as I did.<p>

On another note, I have no idea if I'm going to update between now and Valentine's Day. I will try to, but it depends on what time I finish writing. School and my unhealthy obsession with Zelda and Cosplaying has been sucking up a lot of time, so that's why it took me a long time to type this. I will post on Valentine's Day though, unless something crazy happens.

Anyone have anything they want to see happen soon? Pairings, where they move to, anything. I'm all ears. :3

Taken Legendaries: Entei, Suicune, Raikou,Mewtwo, Zekrom, Keldeo, Regigigas, Deoxys, Darkrai, Uxie, Giratina, Latios, Celebi, Arceus, Cobalion, Jirachi, Azelf, Victini, Kyurem, Reshirem.

So, thanks for all the support (I've really needed it to keep this going as long as I have) so review, favorite, alert and PM me~ It means more then you coud ever imagine to just say. "awesome chapter" :3 Thanks again everyone~


	7. Chapter 6

I only own the Plot and my OCs

_Chapter Six: Taking Flight_

Kei scanned the span of the cave that he had been living in for the past few days. It was once full of tents, chattering and the soft, but slightly musky aroma of sand and moss with just a tinge of irony. Kids used to scurry around and play, not a care in the world. Their mothers had fun watching them while doing laundry for their family and friends. The elderly people watched them as well, some happily with the young ones being so carefree, other grumpy that they were being disturbed. Pokemon bounced along next to them, making sure they weren't getting into too much trouble. Now the tents were gone and some of the little children that were happy not even 12 hours ago were lying dead on the ground, their bodies covered with a thin tarp out of respect and their angelic faces cleaned of the blood that was spattered on it. They looked like they were sleeping along with the other twenty or so bodies.

The teen pinched the bridge of his nose and hung his head in mourning, just to be respectful. He heard mother weeping all around him, but couldn't bear to look up and see their red eyes and hot tears. He only caught a slight peek at the pokemon lying next to their dead trainers and friends, their heads hung low. Some screamed in sorrow and mourned loudly, but others were silent and thoughtful looking with their eyes showing quiet grief. Kei knew well that lives were the price of war, but standing among the dead bodies of women and children, old and new, human and pokemon was just something that no one never got used to. He was better at keeping his emotions intact, but some people were just heartless… He threw a golden glare over his shoulder at the tall man who was watching him with perceptive crimson hawk eyes.

_Like him._

Kei still didn't like Jack. The older man didn't like him either, and over the past few hours, they had gotten into a few vocal scuffles, but neither had the nerve to break out into a fight at such a time, however tempting it was. The skeleton was leaning on a wall as relaxed as he could be. His arms were folded across his chest and his cloak was draped over his shoulders with the hood popped up, making him look like a reaper. His pale fingers fiddled with his head phone wires that were dangling around his neck. He had a harsh, uncaring look, but somewhere down, however much he didn't like to admit as such, Jack had a soft spot for the Russian girl that was at the lead of their merry crew.

Speaking of Varushka, she was nearby with the medical equipment getting patched up from her brawl with Groudon's host, Wrath (his body had been thrown carelessly into the sand storm to be forgotten). She had come out victorious, but not without some damage. Her ribs were broken, and her belly felt like mush, and every now and then, she would cough up a few drops of blood. Her eyes were sunken in and her fatigue was showing, but she waved off the sleeping pills they gave her on the note that she had to 'help everyone pack and get this bullshit on the road before the sun came up'. She was a nut, but she held exactly what Kei wanted; power and ambition. She was valuable and Kei would jump through hoops and go through hell and back to get her on his side. Her drinking problem did hold him back a bit though…but she was just a genius when she thought and spoke clearly. Not too long ago, she had told him some earth shattering news of her next goal.

"_Okay," _she said softly, not wanting to stress her beat body much, she turned her head towards the two teens in front of her, one being himself and the other being her blue headed brother. _"I have a few plans in store for the next couple of months. You wanted a war? A rebellion? Well whoopee, you got it buddy whether you like it or not. And once I teach you, you'll be a fighter in it too. The marked people in this band of stupidity aren't the only ones. There are many many others out there that need to be found. Lucky for us, they tend to stay in easy places. So we're heading towards somewhere that no one in this monarchy knows about. Just us three, and maybe some of the older ones out there. The Abundant Shrine. Landoru's host should be located there. I don't know how he acts, so we need to be prepared for the worst. On the way, Zoroark might be in his habitat." _With that, she flopped back on the bed, instantly regretting it as the pain shot through her muscles. _"FUCK FUCK FUCK."_

He could feel his lip try to tug up into a soft smile at her stupidity, but he wouldn't allow it to stretch across his lips. The occasion and his own reluctance to show too many emotions kept it at bay. Shouts outside signaled that it was time to leave the dead and move on to their next destination. Throwing one last glance over his shoulder, Kei walked towards the noises.

It was dark and not even the soft purples and pinks of the sun could be seen. The only thing that illuminated the darkness was the torches and flashlights some people held. A few of the fire pokemon that were awake were holding small flames in their paws as well. Earlier, supplies had been spread out and people were scurrying about in a rush. Now it was relatively calmer and only the last of the boxes had to be loaded up and people were eating the remains of their dinner. The older people and women along with the remaining children were already loaded up and the men were loading the last crates. They would be gone in thirty minutes.

Kei heard lumbering footsteps behind him, and he turned to see a tall green beast. Its red goggles were over its eyes and its diamond wings flapped softly in greeting. A cumbersome tail dragged softly on the ground as it waddled forward. In its arms was Entei's host, Varushka. Her eyes were half lidded and she seemed genuinely sleepy. The fiery, boiling pools of crimson were just simmering puddles now and her arms hung loosely over her swollen belly. She managed to get changed into a clean outfit, and her coat and scarf were now wound loosely around her small figure. She seemed weak, innocent even. Nothing like what anyone had ever seen before. Her pink lips were parted slightly and if he had been closer, not a whiff of alcohol would be present on her breath.

"Oh kay…"She mumbled softly with a tiny groan of pain, "Let's get outta here…Kei…You, my brother and Emma come in the front jeep with me. We gotta discuss some things….and show everyone the way." She let a yawn tumbled from her lips and gestured him to follow before her flygon ambled off to the leading jeep in its slow way. Her long legs dangled over its stick like arms lazily. Kei looked after her and her pokemon, then drew his bag up on his shoulder, gave one last glance to the funeral ground that was once a home and walked slowly after her, his feet skimming the ground softly and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Varushka was fidgeting in the back seat, her hands playing with the scarf around her neck and her eyes worried and pain filled. It was odd to see her in such a state of obvious distress, and it bothered Kei. Not because he cared, but because if she couldn't concentrate, then she couldn't lead efficiently, and that would affect his plans drastically. So he slid in next to her, making her jump like a scared pichu as his sudden movement. "You wanted me here?"

"Yeah yeah. Wait for a minute and I'll tell you." She kept her eyes glued on the two people coming towards the vehicle. Kaiser had his arm gently draped over a smaller, sleepy looking girl and was grinning and talking. Kei couldn't decide whether his yammering was just boring her, or if it was just her natural look. Her blue haired twin spotted her through the window and gave a wave to tell her hello. She sunk down low, her eyes narrowed in though, which surprised him enough to drop that stupid grin of his and pick up his pace in worry.

As they got to the car, Varushka pointed from him to the driver's seat, signaling that he wanted him to drive since she couldn't. Everyone was glad for that too. Varushka was a crazy driver when she was drunk, but with this new, skittish sort of personality, there was no telling what would happen. She could get a shiver and freak out, driving them off a bridge or something. So it was best that her brother was driving.

Two pairs of eyes travelled over to the Russian woman, who was trying to fuse with the corner of the car by pressing against it with most of her body. Her eyes were glued to the window and if she would have had a tail, it would be flicking about in anticipation as she watched the sands go by her window as they took off. Her pink tongue darted across her lips in anticipation and her mouth hung slightly agape, her white teeth glinting slightly in the gently morning light fading in through the glass windows. After a moment of silent fidgeting, she spoke. "We need to stop at the nearest city….Nimbasa might have what I need…," she said in a quick, hushed tone. Her fingers tapped gently on her lips, pulling at them in thought. "No. We're not going to stop. That would be too dangerous. I'll go in with someone else. There's just something specific that I need…" By the time everyone had caught up to her, she had a plan formed in her devious mind. "Once the city's sky comes into view, stop the truck."

"What? Why?"

"Because, Brother, I need something that I can get easily."

"You can't get it easily. You're bruised and broken to high hell. You can barely move without wincing."

"Well, I'm the only one who can get this. I'll be in and out before anyone can even think about missing me-"

"Look. If it's that big of a deal, send someone with her. She's not going to give up," Kei interrupted, just wanting their bickering to come to an end. It was childish and annoying, and it wasted time on top of everything. Both of the Russians threw a glance back at him, and a gentle smirk crossed the male twin's lips.

"Well, Kei. You volunteered to take care of her," Kaiser sang in a gentle voice, his fingers tapping gently on the worn wheel under his fingers. "You two can just use her Flygon!" A scowl crossed both of the teens' lips. Varushka was adamant about doing it herself for she believed that she was perfectly capable of getting in and out without being seen, and Kei didn't like being ordered around, even if he was trying to be friendly enough. He wasn't a babysitter to this girl, so it wasn't his responsibility to make sure she got out of the city alive. Though, the more he thought about it the more he recognized what a good opportunity this was. He could speak to her alone, when she wasn't drunk and perhaps he could even get a valuable conversation in…

"Fine," he said, shocking the driver and his sister as how easily he went with the idea. He blinked his golden eyes and looked at them, his lips in a thin, straight line. "Yes? Is there something wrong?"

"You're being rather cooperative for how you usually are-"

"This is stupid." The three turned their gazes towards the girl who had been silent until now. Her pale arms are folded across her chest, and her eyes were narrowed slightly as she watched the sand fly by the window. The pink morning sky drifted through the tinted windows, dying her skin shades of pink and orange that reflected the sky. "We should forget stopping anywhere because we run a high risk of getting caught and turned into the Monarchy, and your wonderful plans would be ruined," Emma said in the monotonous tone, "We need to move on and get to The Abundant Shrine as soon as possible before we can get tracked by the Knights." Her blue gaze turned to meet Varushka's red one, which was also beginning to simmer in anger. "We have more lives than just yours on the line, and you should consider those before you consider your own wants-"

"And you should consider who you're talking to before speaking to me in such disrespectful words," Varushka spat back, her words filled with unbridled venom. "I brought you into this car in hopes that you might say something useful, not to try to guilt trip me out of my decisions." The red-head's eyes didn't soften a bit as she continued on, "I think you're very useful Emma, very smart. That's why you're here, but I don't care about anyone else here. Not the useless survivors that joined us, not the Marked Ones, not anyone in this damn world. Now, I will leave, _on my own, _and you will keep going until you reach Lostlorn forest. You will hide the jeeps and camp there and wait for me. I should be back quickly."

She rose up unsteadily and popped open the sunroof with one hand, the other grabbing a pokeball on her belt. Her fingers dug into the metal of the Jeep's roof and using the back of the seat in front, she propelled herself up onto the top of the car. She wobbled a bit as she stood, mostly from the wind buffeting at her wounds, but stayed in her position. With a flick of her wrist and the click of a button, she released her dragon pokemon into the air. It rose up high into the air, waiting for the right moment to dive. When she stood up straight and held her arms up for him, Flygon dove and latched onto her wrists with his stubbly fingers, careful not to hurt her with his claws. With a mighty flap of his diamond shaped wings, the green giant rose into the air, taking her with him.

Only moments after her feet left the roof, Kei emerged and tried to snatch her back by her ankle. His rough fingers only brushed the fabric of her dulled stockings. He growled lowly as she disappeared into the morning dust storm and out of his view. He couldn't pursue her; he didn't have a winged pokemon with him. She'd be on her own, injured and putting herself in danger for something stupid and risking this entire operation. What now? He couldn't just let her go!

A massive gust forced Kei to cover his eyes with his pale arm to protect his eyes from the sand it kicked up. From behind his arm, the Seventeen year old could make out a large outline of a three headed dragon and its trainer pressed to its back. The dark colored beast blended into the morning, its soft purples and blues disguising it well. The only feature he could make out of the trainer on its back was his gleaming red eyes. They could be seen clearly, even if he passed in a millisecond. He recognized those eyes; they were the eyes of that man who had tried to kill him a good 3 times already. He gave a low growl and grabbed the thin, long ponytail that flapped around in the wind and smacked him in the face then sunk into the car again. His rump plopped stubbornly against the worn leathery seats and his gold dog tag tapped gently against his chest. He reached into his hoodie pockets and drew out a red pack of cigarettes and a matching Charmander lighter. He flicked the lighter on and a thin fire came out of the little plastic fire lizard's mouth. He held the fire up to the nicotine stick in his lips and lit it. With a flick of his wrist, the fire was gone and he placed both the pack and the lighter in his pockets. Kei inhaled the smoke and breathed out slowly, letting the gray air stream from his thin lips slowly. _Damn woman…_

* * *

><p>I'm not dead. *gets shot anyway* Yes. I missed both my Valentine's deadline, and Easter, but here's a spontaneous mid-week update from yours truly.<p>

Taken Legendaries: Entei, Suicune, Raikou,Mewtwo, Zekrom, Keldeo, Regigigas, Deoxys, Darkrai, Uxie, Giratina, Latios, Celebi, Arceus, Cobalion, Jirachi, Azelf, Victini, Kyurem, Reshirem, Zoroark.

Suggestions? Pairings? Want to yell at me for being stupid and not updating? PM or review~ I'll be waiting~


	8. Chapter 7

I only own my OCs.

_Chapter Seven: Russian Perfume_

Winds whipped against Jack's face and he could have sworn the sandy gusts had sliced his face a few times. One arm was around his Hydregon's middle neck as the other blocked his sensitive eyes. They were in crimson slits, but he could feel the dust making them dry. He had tried to fight the hood of his cloak up, but it kept getting pushed down as they rode alone. He had once opened his mouth to guide his pokemon. _Once. _He had gotten a mouthful of dirt and didn't dare repeat the action. The reaper didn't know what had come over him. Why was he even attempting to chase this woman down? Why did he give chase? No plausible answer bubbled to the surface as he thought about it. His scowl deepened and he pressed his chest to his pokemon's black scaly back and urged it through the storm. He'd question himself when he could open his mouth without having to eat sand.

This bloody thing lasted forever; there was no city that he could spot through the veil. He was only following the flashes of green that belonged to Varushka's flygon, and he could barely spot those. She kept just out of his range and acted as if she didn't want to be followed, but she seemed to slow a bit and turn around to check and see if he was there. That must have just been his imagination. She wouldn't stop for anything if she had a goal in mind. It just wasn't her nature. She was a woman who wouldn't let any man, woman, child or god get in her way if she could help it, which, she would. She would kill anything that tried to stop her. She wouldn't think about stopping.

But, she was a woman who held nothing but surprises up her sleeve.

As it started to clear, his red eyes locked onto hers and saw a frown that mimicked his own. She was on her hovering dragon's back, holding on with one hand like he was. She was more relaxed, her eyes unreadable behind her reddish goggles that protected her eyes from both the emerging sun and the harsh, sand filled wind. She was bathed in the gentle orange light of the morning. Her scarf and her coat tails were fluttering with the wind and the beating of her pokemon's wings. She flicked her head gently to signal him to follow her, her wavy locks bouncing, and took off towards the city not far away. He reluctantly followed.

Nimbasa City was still devastated from their invasion, buildings still crumbled on the ground and the park still out of order, but the electricity seemed to be restored. The streets seemed to be filled with fresh markets of all colors. Flowers and peppers dotted the roads in little carts, and he spied all sorts of other wares that he'd like to stop and get for a treat, but they didn't have the time to play. They needed to get what she wanted and get out. They drifted down gently, careful to not make a sound as they touched the rooftop. She got off of her companion and placed him back into the pokeball before anyone could see the six foot green dragon on the top of a roof. She replaced the white and red capsule and pulled out another that was similar to it. Her pokemon of choice came out in a red beam of light, like most do, and it shattered like all do, but the air around it started to crackle with electric snaps as the pokemon's low growl rumbled from its black chest. The spiky blue lion narrowed its gold eyes at his trainer in pure malice and its claws slipped out from its sheathes in its paws. Varushka stared at the pissed off Luxray though, not caring that its sparks were directed at her face. She kept her blank expression on and removed her red goggles, displaying her full raccoon eyes. She looked positively exhausted. "Hey, Amperage, shut up. I'm going to get you the proper food in about thirty seconds if you would kindly cooperate." That shut the beast up; it relaxed almost instantly, his star tipped tail flicking about in agreement. "That's what I though. Use a _light _spark on the circuit breakers and make the lights go out." It nodded at her command and trotted up to the dark box and placed his nose on it. There was a crackle of electricity and a high pitched squeal before the box started to smoke up and beep. Below them, the lights flicked off in every window, leaving the building pitch black in the early morning light. A sighs left her lips and she made her way to the side of the building and slid herself over the small edge and down below, where she landed with a soft metallic thump. Jack peered over, curious as to what happened to her, and saw her climbing down a fire escape, her pale fingers maneuvering her down slowly in pained motions. She glanced up at him, her tired eyes annoyed. "Hey. Come on. We have like, thirty minutes before we need to split." His lip twitched in irritation, but he did as she said none the less.

They climbed down a few stories of the apartment complex, Varushka counting which level of the building they were on silently. Once they reached the 15th floor, she stopped and got off the latter and walked over the third window, a tiny silver object glinting in her finger. She crouched at the window and inserted a thin silver bobby pin into the latch and wiggled it about, her lips drawn thin in annoyance at the lock's resistance. She struggled with it, tiny growls and huffs of annoyance tumbling out of her mouth, when finally, after minutes of arguing with the lock, it opened. She placed her thin fingers on the window and raised it up, then slid inside with a muted thump of her feet. She glanced beck at Jack, her red eyes glinting a bit as she did. He followed, blending in easily with his dark cloak swishing a bit around his ankles and blending in like shadows.

The red head snuck around the apartment, which was rather simple. The kitchen was a plain sort of set up; there was a small wooden table and foldable metal chairs surrounded it with only two being made of actual wood, however cheap it was. The appliances and cabinets were white and clean, showing how much someone loved the kitchen. All spice jars were on a small rack near the white electric stove and pots were hanging above so they could be easily handled and sorted. Varushka didn't really pay attention to any of it. She dug in one of the deep pockets of her coat and produced a small brass key that looked like it belonged to an old time chest. It was rounded and not much bigger than half of an average person's pinkie. She twirled it in her fingers for a moment, watching it idly at it flashed a copper color in the dull morning light that streamed through the windows. Suddenly, the hand opposite of the hand that held the key burst into flames and she snagged a pole that was coming for her head and it burst into flames, making the person at the other end of the weapon yelp and drop the wooden rod.

The person was a woman in her mid thirties, her face worn with the strain of everyday city life. The beginnings of wrinkles were starting to show, however gentle they were, and her brown hair was thrown up in a messy bun, half of it fallen out while she was asleep on the nearby couch. Her dark brows were narrowed, making her brown eyes slits. Her skirt and blouse were those of a mother, simple; the button up shirt was white, and a little tussled and creased, and her skirt was blue with a white apron over it. A few stains dotted them.

The woman blinked and smiled, her eyes widening up a bit as she ran to Varushka and grabbed her around the middle and pressed her face into her chest, little sobs wracking her small frame. "Oh god…Oh god…You don't know how glad I am that you're here right now…So glad…," she mumbled into the dirt stained white fabric, her wet tears spreading through the Russian's top as she cried. As Varushka's hand rose and pet the back of the woman's her, Jack just watched in awe. Had she ever been hugged since he met her 7 years ago? Since he left his original group…? She hadn't…not even by her brother…She had given them out in her drunk state, but she hadn't received them…

"Yeah…I can't stay long though… Do you have some guns and weapons I can borrow? I kind of need them…And some alcohol? I ran out…"

The woman sniffed and nodded, removing her face from her breasts and stood up straight rubbing at her face. "Yeah…You can have them all…On one condition though-"

"Balbina…I don't have time for this-"

"I don't have time either, but it's important…" sadness clouded Balbina's dark eyes and she turned, going into the apartment." I'll be right back with what I need you to do…You already have the key to the safe with everything you need…Just promise me you'll do this for me…"

"Fine…"

A smile crossed the simpler woman's featured and she trotted off quickly, her footsteps echoing off the wooden floors. The bone hunter looked at his fiery companion with confusion in his expression. Her red eyes caught his and she looked forwards after a second. " …I knew her before I started this whole refugee operation…She was one of my best friends…and had a love for deadly things…I thought this would be the best place to go to get supplies-"

Her words were cut off as there was a sharp whining from a few yards away where Balbina stood, watching them. It was a gurgling sort of cry, one that belonged to a soft, young creature: a baby. Varushka's lips opened and closed as if she wanted to say something, but words wouldn't come out and her eyes were wide in a state of shock that had never been seen before. Jack was surprised to, but he could control his stature and kept his reaction to a widening of his eyes. He saw that his companion's fingertips were trembling slightly and her emotions were fighting for dominance as she swallowed. Her eyes wouldn't leave the pale bundle in Balbina's arms that was swaddled up in a soft blue blanket. His eyes were a wide sea of lilacs and she could see the golden hairs already emerging from the top of his head. His fingers were grabbing at his mother's hair and skin, not understanding the drops of moisture that ran down her face. On her shoulder was a small baby bag that was stuffed to the brim with all the baby necessities, and on top of the baby was a letter, folded up neatly and sealed closed, and a small pokeball, shrunken into its easily transported form. In her other hand was an official piece of paper titled with her name and branded with bold, black ink, 'EXECUTION'.

"…They gave me three weeks to find a caretaker for him, and since his father is dead, and I don't trust anyone, I was beginning to worry because they'd take him into The Monarchy's custody…a-and I didn't want that…" She began to shiver as if she was cold, her tears, "I-I named him Claude…Because he looked like…you know…"

The Russian didn't breathe, didn't blink. Her expression didn't waver from the shocked position it was in. Her pupils were focused on the child, slightly contracted as if in fear or surprise. She lifted a pale hand out, the little key in it, and held it in trembling fingers. It looked like she was about to drop it at any second, so Jack reached out and took it, holding it tightly in his hand. "H-Head over to the book case…The only one…It's got a keyhole behind _Romeo and Juliet." _Jack wrinkled his nose that she was still telling him where to go, but deciding that he would rather deal with weaponry than children, he went along with it wordlessly.

He spied the towering bookshelf almost immediately. The wooden skeleton was filled to the brim with books of all sorts, from textbooks to novels, but he didn't care about those for now. He searched the titles, looking for the romance novel he was instructed to find, his finger brushing over the spine to help him read in the dim lighting, his eyes squinted into little slits of red. Finally, in the exact middle of the shelf, just at the middle of his chest, he found the fraying novel. He yanked it out a tossed it carelessly over his shoulder, not really giving a care about this woman's property. As he was told, there was a little key hole, just big enough to fit the key inside. He inserted the little key inside.

There were clinks inside that sounded like gears of a safe. The sound ran from the top of the bookshelf to the wooden floorboards where he stood. The wood gave a soft groan and the wall shifted and loosened, revealing a slit that looked like the edge of a door. It swung open slowly, the hinges giving a squeak as the wall moved. He caught the door in his pale fingers, gripping it loosely and worked his way to the darkness inside. He grabbed a flashlight that he could see balanced on the bookshelf and switched it on, illumination dark metals and intricately designed weaponry with the white, unnatural light. Jack blinked in surprise; he wouldn't have expected a mother to house this many tools of destruction. Most were neatly packed away and coated with dust and cobwebs, but some were laying about, tossed haphazardly away. Snapping out of his thoughts, the reaper grabbed a few bags and slung it over his shoulder, happy that Varushka managed to make a logical decision for once. He managed to take most of it, only leaving behind a few straggling, damaged swords and guns without any usable bullets, and emerged, closing the door once more He caught sight of the Russian, who was still focused on the baby that was now transferred to her hands. She was wide eyed and amazed, as if she had never seen such a creature before. She turned it about in her hands, holding it upside down even. It didn't object to such treatment though; it actually seemed to enjoy the attention and he reached for the woman's face, grabbing her flaming locks of red. With one hand held firmly around his leg, she put her worn fingers by its new, soft face and stroked it with the tips. It let out a golden giggle and grabbed one of the appendages, sticking it on his mouth and chewing on it, making Varushka let out a soft, amazed coo. He gave a hiss and turned to the window. "You were bitching about me being slow earlier. Come on-"

"Hey…Jack…I think I'm gonna have a baby…"

He sputtered and looked at her like she was crazy, a soft shade or rose on his cheeks, not sure exactly what she meant. "You! Damn it if you're pregnant-"

"No. I'm not…," she said, her voice filled with a wonder that Jack had never known her to possess, "I mean, like…I don't know..I meant this baby. I want him."

"That's not a good idea-"

"I don't particularly care."

He gave a growl and went to her, grabbing her collar and turning her face to look at him. She didn't seem angry, and there was no sly smirk on her face. She wasn't happy or sad or anything else for that matter. Her face was gentler and younger too. She actually looked like a seventeen year old girl instead of a 23 year old woman. Her crimson eyes were rounded and not in those familiar slits that he was used to seeing every day, her lips straight and pinkish. He watched her, his eyes becoming the size of dinner plates that she had a nearly genuine smile forming on her face as she lifted the little creature up to examine the baby once more. "Yeah…just this one though…" She got up and took a few bags from Jack, careful not to bump the child on the head as she did, then pushed his arms into a cradle like position and placed the bundle inside, wrapping his fingers around it and making him press it gently to his chest. He just watched, not sure if he was in some illusion cast by a pokemon or whether he was going crazy. Varushka Espinoza was not a person of anything delicate other than her eyebrows. She wasn't capable of being gentle, or nice or motherly or anything. She wasn't a housewife. There was only once solution: She must be drugged. That woman must have drugged her while he wasn't looking and now she was being all…polite and friendly!

He wanted those drugs.

"W-What did you drug her with? I'll pay you for all of it," he asked, looking at the older woman, who was watching her baby being taken away with a sad smile. She looked at him, chocolate eyes, swimming in tears, the whites red.

"Nothing dear…take care of him though…he needs a daddy…"

"Jesus Christ! Im not a dad-"

"Jack. We have like…five minutes. Strap Claude to my flygon along with all the baby supplies…I'll be up in a moment…I don't think he needs to see what's going to happen…"

"What's going to happen? I don't get it-"

"Just trust me." Jack gave a hiss and bit back a snippy remark, holding the child close to his chest, he slid out the window and climbed back up to the top of the building where the pokemon were starting to get anxious, worrying about their trainers, Amperage more for the food he wanted. Jack went to the flygon first and gently grabbed the base of his neck and eased it down to eye level. The bug-like dragon had its eyes locked onto the baby, just as shocked and curious as his owner had been. With quick, careful fingers, Jack managed to get the baby tied securely onto the green creature's neck along with its supplies. More out of instinct then actual need or want, he reached out and pet the baby's face, just once, with a feather light touch, before turning on his heel and leaving it alone, too stubborn to do otherwise. He crawled onto his Hydregon's back and get to work on strapping the weaponry in.

Varushka appeared moments after, pulling her aching body up the ladder and onto the roof. With the flick of her wrist, she threw out a whole fish, a rather large salmon at that, and let it sail through the air. The lion-like pokemon's eyes lit up in happiness and it dashed forward, its paws thumping loudly on the worn ground, and jumped up, snagging the colorful fish by its torso, soon setting out to eat it. In another smooth move, Varushka called it back into its pokeball, fish and all before hustling over to her flying, the new backpack on her back bouncing as she ran along. She sprang up, a wince darting across her features, and landed on the dragon's back, making it whine in protest. "We need to go, now," she said, steering her companion to Jack's side and waiting for him to give a curt nod before jumping off the building, the child's face pressed into her neck. As much as she wanted to be gently, she couldn't give it the luxury of a pleasant first ride. It wailed in terror, not knowing what was going on and wrapped its chubby little arms around the red head's neck the best it could, tangling its fat little digits in the long strands. She gave it a soft nuzzle with her cheek before focusing her eyes on the city skyline.

They had been spotted, that was easy enough to tell. There were people pointing at her, some in horror, others with admiration, but she was more worried about the pokemon that were perched on roofs to examine them closely. Staraptors and Salamences, Charizards and Braiveries, they were all after Varushka and Jack. A shot of energy whizzed past Varushka's face, singeing the top layer of skin away and burning a few hairs. She whipped her head around, eyes set in anger as she saw the men in armor after them. Their gleaming armor was new, and it looked deadly with sharp curves and nasty spikes jutting out like razors. Everything was at an angle, and very close to their skin. There was little metal on it, but the shiny, tight material gave an illusion of armor. It must be made for a special purpose, possibly to make them more aerodynamic. She didn't care right now; there were more important matters to tend to.

"We can't fight, we can't maneuver like them! Just….Follow me! I HAVE AN IDEA!" She shouted. Dodging arrows and fire, she made a ninety degree drop, making a beeline for the ground. Jack's eyes almost popped out his head, but her followed her none the less, having no other choice at the moment. Moments from making impact with the ground, her pulled up, making her flygon's tail slam against the ground, creating a small indent. With practiced ease, she made sharp turns and flawless curves around the streets, knocking over the recently set up stalls as she went, trying to make a barrier. Jack copied herm, though, with more a bit sloppier turns and a few near-accidents. He managed to keep pace with her though. The guards on the other hand, had a great deal of trouble. They never gave chase this low to the ground, and they had to watch out for the citizens where Varushka could harm whatever got in her way. If one of the riders missed a turn, he would try to double back, but the others would smack into him, sending up a puff of feathers on contact. They went about this cat and mouse chase for a while, the numbers or guards slowly dwindling as they went along. Soon, they were beginning to get fed up, and they began their assault once more, but as they turned down an alleyway that turned to a dead end, there was nothing there. The pokemon let their attacks relax and their gaurds drop before scattering about to start a city wise search. Little did they know that their target was under their feet, rather than above. While they were distracted with the chase, the two had dove into a manhole and covered it up just as the feathers passed over their heads.

Now safe inside the sticky sewer, they could relax a bit, despite the smell. "…Well…Its better then flying around for hours on end," the Russian said, looking around the dark tunnels, holding the baby to her chest now and the bag of its essentials on her other shoulder before putting her flygon back into its holster inside of its pokeball. Jack had transferred the weapons from his pokemon to his shoulder and put the creature back into its container to spare it from having to deal with the smell of the reaking tunnel. He scoffed at that.

"I suppose so. Where to now?"

"Dunno…This way?"

He gave a sigh and pushed her in the direction she pointed. "Lead the way before I shoot you."

"Hey…Be nice to me."

* * *

><p>Hey guys. There wasn't quite as much as a wait this time around, right? :D I even listened to Skyrim songs to make this 800 x's more epic.<p>

Anyway, the plot has started moving along more and more. So what do you think of my little surprise? Too mainstream?

Anyway. Have questions? Comments? Want to yell at me for taking over 30 seconds to post a new chapter? Well, send me a PM, or give me a review!

Thanks for reading guys~


	9. Chapter 8

I only own my OCs

_Chapter 8: Into the Woods_

_Varushka watched as the child went out the window with Jack, and as soon as they were out of sight, she looked back at Balbina, her expression no longer tender. "…I really would prefer not to do this…" The older woman turned her gaze down and tapped her fingers together, her shoulders trembling. _

"_I know…but…Consider it a last request…A death wish per say…"_

"_I wish we could take you with us…"_

"_I'll be a burden…I don't want to fight anymore…"_

"_I see…" Varushka raised her hand high, as if she was going to strike. Balbina flinched out of instinct and braced herself for impact, but nothing came. Suddenly, a light pressure at the back of her head forced her into her taller friend's chest. Varushka's fingers rug into the woman's mane of dark hair and tangled her fingers in it. Her face was hardened and her eyes were focused on her wall behind the mother. "I remember when you used to be taller than me…And that my face used to be in your breasts when you hugged me…And that you used to feed me toast and jam…You were the age I am now, right? Maybe fifteen…Sixteen?"_

_Balbina's eyes widened a bit, then she placed her hands onto the red haired woman's back, giving her a light squeeze in return. "Fourteen."_

"_Oh yeah…But you used to deal with me and smile even when I was crying and being a baby…And even if you didn't have money, you'd buy me a little daisy every year and I'd love it…And you gave me my first pokemon, even though daddy didn't approve of it…"_

"_Feugo…"_

"_He's still alive…As strong as a Tauros…" A soft tear slipped from her face, her expression still unchanging as the salty drop cascaded down her pale cheek, whisking away a bit of dirt with it. "I'll give your baby the life he should have had with you, if not more…I'm sorry things couldn't be different…" She closed her eyes tightly and yanked Balbina's torso closer to hers, making the woman give a little gasp. Her eyes were widened in pain, but it soon faded to relief and happiness as they fluttered closed. Varushka tugged her closer, the other arm driving the kitchen knife further into the woman's abdomen. "I'm sorry…I…I love you…" she said as she sank to her knees, trying her hardest not to choke as she brought motherly figure down gently with her. She eased her limp body down so it was leaning against the cabinets, smearing the red ominously down the white surface. She removed the blade from her abdomen and dropped it at her side, more tears falling and diluting the thick, dark blood on the shiny metal. "I-It was your favorite knife, too…"_

_The older woman used her last strength to reach her arm up and press it gently against the girl's face, stroking it gently with a bloody thumb. Varushka's red eyes widened and she looked at her, placing her hand on top of hers with a soft touch, afraid it might just crumble there. "Take it then…Let Claude have it…" Varushka nodded gently, unable to let words come from her mouth. "And clean up…Look pretty and find a daddy for him…And you don't have to let him know who his mother was…" she nodded once more, and Balbina gave a soft sigh, letting her arm go limp. "Thank you…And…I love you…," she said slowly, the words coming out in painful slurs. Soon, her chest stopped moving and her life slipped away. Varushka gave a soft whimper and bit her lip, trying to keep her composure. She ran her calloused fingertips over the woman's thin eyelids, closing them and giving her a peaceful sort of look. The Russian grabbed the execution notice and placed it over the wound, staining it with the blood. She rose on shaky knees and went over to the sink, the knife in hand, and ran water over the blade. Before her was a mirror, something she never liked, and all she could see was her lifeless face, stained with the blood of a woman who didn't need to die, but she forced a soft smile on her face, not wanting the child to see her in such a state of disarray…_

* * *

><p>Varushka shot up in bed, unable to scream, but unable to contain the few tears that dribbled out from the corners of her eyes. Only a few hours ago, she had killed her best friend that had been a replacement for her mother when she wasn't there. She wouldn't be able to sleep with the guilt for a few weeks, if not the rest of her life. She had many murders on her shoulders, but they were for a good cause, and felt little to no guilt. No matter how much she searched her brain, the woman could not find a good reason why she killed Balbina, a mother…<p>

_Mother_…Varushka forced herself onto unstable knees and crawled over the leathery seats of the jeeps to the makeshift crib where Claude was asleep, his pink lips full and his lilac eyes shielded from the world. A curl of blond hair bounced with her breath over his face and his hands clutched a pokeball tightly between his fingers. She watched him, reaching out and gently petting his face with a finger. The pressure made the baby moan softly and give a little mewl from her damp fingers on his warm face. She didn't ask for something like this to be shoved into her life, but she accepted it with open arms. Never had she even thought of wanting a baby, but now that it was here, and she didn't know what to do… With a sigh, she tucked him in tightly and emerged from the vehicle to look outside. It was pitch black outside, only a few stars illuminating the darkness that draped over the world.

She and Jack had returned from the nearby city from the sewers, baby and sharp weapons in tow. It was a less then pleasant experience that they would like to never repeat, but it got them out safely, which was all that the two cared about as they hobbled their separate ways and into the cars that served as beds for the time being. Varushka had managed to stay conscious long enough to situate Claude into the spacious glove box with a few blankets to make his sleep as pleasant as possible, not that he cared anyway. He was out like a light before she even wished him a good night.

The red head placed one foot on the ground, then another, and finally, she managed to slither out of the automobile soundlessly. She was finally able to acknowledge the scent of the fresh air that only the forest they camped in could produce. Lostlorn forest was a place of mysteries; people were always getting lost in it , as the name suggested, and more recently, they were turning up either dead or scared half to death. It was a risky move going into the forest, but if it scared off the Monarchy, it was a good move on Varushka's behalf. She didn't just come here to hide though; she came here to search for another member to add to their group, for this forest was the domain of Zoroark's host, and he was most active at this time.

Her tired red eyes watched the tree line for a moment, then when there was movement in the bushes, she moved towards the forest, her coat lazily flicking around with the movement of her slightly swaying hips. Her fingers dove into her pockets, drawing out a small pokeball with quick movements, and she twirled it onto the tips of her fingers before disappearing into the brush, the darkness claiming her.

* * *

><p>Tim Comprand was pretty simple fellow; he wanted a simple life with his pokemon in a city, but things weren't that simple with the seventeen year old. He had something that the monarchy wanted, and therefore, things couldn't be simple with him. Only a few months ago, he had lived in the city with little care, but once word had gotten out that he was rumored to have something the Monarchy wanted, shit had hit the fan and he had been forced to flee his home with only the clothing on his back, his pokemon, and not much else. He was forced to run for three days and nights, only stopping to collapse out of exhaustion. He wasn't sure where his legs planned on taking him, but when he arrived at the entrance of the forest, the monarchy hot on his heels, he didn't really care. He ran into the forest, his panic forcing him to focus on losing his pursuers. Lucky for him, this forest was just what he needed, and the bushes and trees seemed to move about to conceal where he truly went, and soon, he had lost them.<p>

The pale boy gave a sigh and ran his fingers through his short brown locks. He preferred his hair in his long buzz cut type style; no one could grab a decent handful if they wanted to and he didn't have to worry about care, not that he had a problem with cleanliness. If he needed a bath, he could find a stream in any direction, no matter where he was. It was the same with food. Should he need an apple to start the day off, all he had to do was turn around and there it was, hanging on a tree twenty feet away. It was strange, but convenient. Everything was to his liking here from the weather to the touch of the grass. There was only one problem with the paradise: there was no way out. He looked for hours and hours and days upon days for an end to the trees, but there was no end. He had thought about burning down the trees to get out, but after staring at them for so long, he couldn't muster up the will to do it; they were far too beautiful for that.

His deep blue eyes, each with a slightly different color, one silvery and one reddish, landed on his right wrist. On it was a bracelet that consisted of three thick bands of metal that didn't connect and that reached across his muscular arm like skeletal fingers. Each piece of glossy metal was tipped with a red jewel that made the fingers seem like claws. That held his arm in a death grip. He wasn't exactly sure where he had gotten the jewelry, but it had been there for as long as he could remember. He had tried to remove it over and over, but it was impossible to remove, and every time he got close to taking it off, he was met with mind numbing, searing pain in his arm. He would have given the stupid authorities what they asked for if he could, but he couldn't, and he was in this wonderful situation.

"Well isn't this just _fabu~?" _He chimed sarcastically as he dropped his arm, letting his annoyance slip into his normally friendly tone.

"Oh, I kind of like that word. I should start using that," came a monotone voice from the side. The sudden human voice made Tim flinch and tumble onto his back in surprise as he instinctively tried to scramble away from it. It had been so long since he had heard a human voice, much less a voice of a human girl. He blinked and looked around for the source of the voice, but he found nothing. To the side, he saw the slight outline of a human in the depths of the forest, but there was little detail outside of their tall, lean form.

"W-Who are you?" he stammered as he got to his feet again, "And what are you doing here? People don't find me easily…"

The person dug into their pocket and drew out a small sphere that enlarged a moment later. "Who I am doesn't matter." She flicked her wrist, releasing the pokemon within the ball. A long green serpent appeared before him, its red eyes glaring down from their place on its pale face. It was regal in every sense of the word, and it was huge in every sense of the word. The monster was easily 200+ pounds and was about twelve feet. Tim was in no way small, but his hands instinctively went to his pokemon that were concealed in the pockets of his tri-colored short sleeved blazer's pockets. "But…I'm here to kill you."

Serperior was quick and bolted towards him without a word from his trainer, and his maw open wide, but with adrenaline in his coursing through his veins, the brown haired teen was faster. His finger pressed a button on the pokeball just fast enough to release a pokemon. The large snake was only a hair away from ripping off his face when it was yanked back and thrown away into the trees, knocking a few over with the force of the throw. A small, blue, human like creature stood off to the side, its breath coming out in soft pants with the effort of throwing the snake away from his trainer. It waddled it was back to his side as quickly as it could, and Tim breathed a sigh of relief. "You're a life saver, Sawk…" It turned its black gaze up to him, and his cheeks turned upwards slightly, as if it was smiling slightly at his trainer.

It was rammed out of the way just as all seemed to calm, and its body cracked against a nearby tree, causing it to tumble over with the force behind the blow from the serpent's tail. Before it landed, the snake heaved slightly and spat its gastric fluids at the creature, hitting it with the nasty mess of bile. It blinked and looked at its hands that were covered in the disgusting fluid, and from the side, its trainer, who winced at the nasty attack, turned his nose away from him slightly. "Ew…" he mumbled softly, but he released those thoughts as the creature came upon him. He was nowhere near as strong as his pokemon was, but with his constant training, his muscles developed. His hands grabbed the creature's top and bottom jaw that were about to snap over his head, and he held them open, angering the writing creature. Its constant thrashing made the ground rumble and its body wriggle about in his grip and made holding its fangs away from his face very difficult. "Sawk!" He called to the pokemon that was now up on its feet, "Poison Jab!"

Its fingers glowed a purple color but just as it was about to strike, something else was quicker and knocked the creature aside with a loud bark. Its orange body and puffy beige fur was just a blur as it rammed against the creature with its large body at an extremely high speed. It's fangs sung into its body and burst into flames, drawing a squeal of pain from its victim. The tiger striped creature tossed it aside the best it could before returning to its trainer, who had appeared next to Tim. "Stupid move, grabbing its mouth," the blonde girl remarked as she held an unopened pokeball in one hand, and an open one in the other. The Arcanine that had protected him must have belonged to her.

Tim glanced up, and then rubbed the sweat off his brow in relief. "I didn't have much of a choice on the matter…" The snake didn't stay down long though, and it reared up with a hiss, its blood dripping off its green body and onto the ground from its burnt wounds. It charged again, but this time, Tim was ready to dodge. He grabbed the girl and yanked her out of the way just in time to avoid its fangs, but anticipating them to dodge his initial attack, Serperior lashed its tail out and caught them both with its powerful attack and sent them onto the ground. It slithered up quickly despite its massive size, and went to strike again. Arcanine darted in front of the two and took the snake's fangs head on, his own flaming teeth snapping at the snake that was trying to dodge the fire attacks that were aimed at him.

The two seemed to had forgotten about the third member of the fight, and Serperior was taken off guard when a poison coated fist was jabbed into his skull and broke the thin skin there. The sticky, purple liquid dripped into the open wound, making Serperior squeal and howl in pain.

"Let's get out of here while it's distracted!"

She nodded and whistled for the Arcanine to come to her. It listened obediently and as it passed her, she jumped onto it quickly and motioned for Tim to follow suit. He stared at it, a little worried that it wouldn't be able to handle two passengers, but the Serperior was beginning to gain its focus back, and he didn't have much time to think anymore. He called his companion back to his pokeball, and with one smooth motion, got on the orange dog's back. It took off just like a jet, not turning back to check on the green Snake that was still writing in pain.

"What was that thing's _problem_?"

"I don't really know, but it didn't seem like it was wild…It was too intelligent…"

Tim looked up at her, his dark gray shoulder bag slapping against his back as the Arcanine ran. "I never caught your name…I'd like to thank you properly for helping me."

"You sure needed it." That comment caused him to frown in displeasure, and he opened his mouth to retaliate with his own snarky comment, but she wasn't done speaking. "My name is Hikari…"

"It's a pleasure to meet you…" he said, still a little irked by her comment, but still able to speak with her in a civil manner, "I'm Tim-" They had just emerged into a clearing that had cars and small tents pitched all over when the Serperior burst from the bushes, a wild hiss ripping from its throat. It sped quickly after Arcanine, who was slowing slightly from the excess weight on his back. Hikari cursed under her breath and took a sharp right. The Serpreior followed, throwing anyone in his path to the side with a strong sweep of his tail or a swift and powerful bite before swallowing them whole. Their blood sprayed over the beast's face, but it did not flinch at the death all around it; instead, it seemed to excite it and renew its interest in the two fleeing teens. Tim fumbled with his pokeballs, trying to find one that would finish off the pokemon quickly, but another flaming creature passed them up and rammed heads with the much larger snake. The monsterous serpent stopped dead in it's tracks, its expression blank and its eyes widened in pain, before it slumped down, breath no longer escaping its lungs. The Rapidash removed it glowing and now bloody horn from its head and stomped on it for good measure, sending more red blood all over the grass.

"That's enough, Siegfried," came a strong voice from behind them. Issa towered over them, his expression a little darkened, "It doesn't deserve that, no matter what it's done…" The rapidash snorted in disagreement and cast a glance around the camp. Blood was everywhere, but there were hardly any bodies, as most of them were inside the body of the snake. A few were slumped over against the trees on the side, their necks crooked awkwardly, and some more had crashed into sharp sticks and were impaled. There was a lot of casualties all because of the stubborn snake. "I know, but he can no longer do anything-"

"God, I leave for a couple of hours and I come back to this…What the hell?"

All eyes turned to the voice of the redheaded woman, who had her hands on her hips as she walked back into the camp. Her eyes surveyed her surroundings and she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Messy…"

"These people are dead, and all you have to say is how messy their deaths are…?" Tim asked, not quite believing what had just come out of her mouth. "Don't you think they deserve to be mourned over…?"

"No." She shot back at him, her patience wearing thin. He just looked at her in disbelief. "They were of no particular importance to me," Her eyes darted around, counting the people still left, "they were meant to die to keep the more important players in the game…"

"So they were just puppets to you?!" His anger was beginning to bubble, but he still kept a cool head. There was no reason to get into any fights. "That's just…wrong…Who the hell are you anyway?"

"And where were you, anyway, Varushka?"

She held up her right hand, which was covered in blood. "Taking care of its owner before anything else happened…" She was now ignoring time, not caring for his opinions on her ethics. "It seems I was a little late though…Too bad. Is Claude okay?"

"He is healthy and strong, but he's very quiet and loves to sleep…" Issa said as he held out the package of blankets to her. Neither of the teens had noticed the man was holding something gently in his arms, as it looked just like a part of his tattered clothing. She went over and held out her hand, which were tiny in comparison to those of the brute before her. He however, was much more gentle with the bundle then he was, seeing as she fumbled a bit to get them in the right spot. She peeled back the blankets with one finger of her left hand that was clean to reveal a child's sleeping face.

"He sure does…" She walked away from the group. "This mess needs to be cleaned…I appreciate you watching him, Issa. I hope you'll do it again."

"It would be my pleasure, Miss Varushka."

Tim watched her go, a bit of anger still burning at how she treated her fallen comrades in his veins, then turned his head to Hikari. "Is that hers…?"

"Fortunately, no. She came back with it just yesterday," she replied as she slid off her arcanine, her black clothing riding up a bit as she did. He followed suit, and once her pokemon was safely back in her pokeball, he walked away without another word.

"Forgive them; Varushka leads this camp and is trying her best, and Hikari isn't as friendly…Will you be staying with us?"

"I suppose if you have room, that would be nice."

"Let's give these people a proper burial then…"

* * *

><p>Varushka was curled in the back of the car, a bottle held on one hand and Claude supported with the other along with her legs. He was awake now with his lips attached to the nipple of the bottle and sucking merrily. He paid no mind to her bloodied hand that rested just on his back, and she watched him with the same worried expression she always had on around him. She was being increasingly careful with him, her touches gentle and her eyes watching for the tiniest look of displeasure on the infant's face.<p>

"You're not going to break him, you know?"

"How do you know that, Kei?"

He was leaning against the now opened car door, his eyes focused on the girl and her adopted child. It was strange to him seeing her this way, with something so small and helpless in her hands. She was such a rugged individual that he wouldn't imagine, even in his wildest dreams, that she was capable of being tender and caring for anything so delicate. "…I don't really know, but it seems that you take a complete turn with your personality while you're with him. You didn't have any alcohol with you when you came back."

"She was out-"

"Jack told me what happened. He still thinks you're seriously drugged."

"Jack can shut up."

"Relax."

She looked up at him, a displeased frown on her face. "You're telling me what to do now? What a twist."

"Problem?"

"I'll pull your ponytail if you keep up with this behavior." She gave a soft smirk and bounced the baby in her lap, trying to take care of it as one of the mothers in the camp directed her to. "You know I'm not afraid to touch."

He rolled his golden orbs and looked away before putting a cigarette in his mouth. "You caught me off guard."

"You didn't protest."

He lit the cancer stick in his mouth and took a puff, his patience wearing as he repeated himself. "You caught me off guard-" Something smashed into his head, making him drop his cigarette. The empty canteen fell to the ground with a hollow thunk. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Don't smoke around him."

* * *

><p>Ahaha, I haven't updated in a loooong time (Over a year!) and I have no excuse for that :'D My apologies. I lost my pokemon muse for a short while, and it's still not completely with me… Hopefully I'll be updating more often.<p>

I've also cut this story almost in half. I realize I need to keep them short and sweet.

Thank you to everyone who's been poking me to keep up this story. It helped a lot! Also, this is a big thing I need you guys to do. If there is any relationship you want or DON'T want your character to have, speak now or I'm going to do what I want with them. I'm like a that one mail service; if it fits, it ships.

If your character is OOC, please give me pointers. I haven't written some of these guys in a LONG time, so they could be wrong.

Alright guys! Thanks for sticking with me for so long! And remember! Reviews and PM's make Crimson happy and want to update more!


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